As a rape survivor - at 19, I am white, perpetrators (all 5 of them) were Black, and I am 68 years old now - let me say I am disturbed at the racism I am encountering in many of these posts is disturbing. When I was raped, it is true my rapists were Black, but so was my boyfriend who came to the hospital, helped, nurtured and encouraged me. Offered me support and love and helped me heal in a number of ways. And here is one more thing. I got raped. I didn't get killed. The police shooting of SUSPECTS is not the same as charges, trials, appeals, and punishment fitting the crime. I wish I had not been raped. There are moments even now when those memories come back to haunt me. But I didn't die. And it would not have made my life any better if those men who raped me had been killed.
27
I appreciate Jeanine Cummins' efforts to keep this horrible crime from being appropriated as another part of America's racist heritage. People of all races do horrible things. When a black person does a horrible thing, most white people (and the mass media) can't help but seeing that as "a black person committed the crime" as opposed to "a person (who happens to be black) committed the crime." It becomes a "black people" incident as opposed to a "bad person" incident, and thereby reinforces race-based stereotypes and fears that are carried forward in our lives. The issue of crime makes it especially clear that our 'natural' way of seeing people who are black as "raced," a way of seeing that extends even to physical, bodily feelings of fear, is a manifestation of the racism built into American society *through our American selves*. And unfortunately, that is not something that will go away just because we want it to. Deprogramming the racism from our White America selves won't be easy, but if we're not trying, then we're morally bankrupt racists. So, thank you, Jeanine Cummins, for your inspiring personal efforts to think and feel beyond race, and for sharing them here.
8
Murder isn't black or white, but privilege is--mostly white. The sense of fading privilege scares many whites who've elected the obstructionists of the Tea Party who've paralyzed Congress, and have chased the last remaining rationalists out of the GOP. Fearful whites, those without the consolation of good education, seem to be more prone to suicide, slow or fast. Fearful whites don't seem to understand the difference between Trump's bluster and forceful political rhetoric. Fearful whites lap up his divisive and anti-American bluster.
Were I to accuse Trump of racism, and were he to notice me, his response would be to redefine racism, as he has redefined "political correctness" (anything he dislikes) and "sexism" (sexual indiscretion of a Democrat.)
Ms. Cummins rejects the ignorant bigots who might wish to graft white victimhood onto her tragedy. That's her choice, an admirable one. But I reject any implication, here or elsewhere, that the constant beating and killing of blacks does not make victims of them. They are victims of our history, of social mores, and of a victimizing economy. Slapping the victims around reminds me of General Patton and his ignorant and inappropriate response to PTSD in a MASH tent.
Were I to accuse Trump of racism, and were he to notice me, his response would be to redefine racism, as he has redefined "political correctness" (anything he dislikes) and "sexism" (sexual indiscretion of a Democrat.)
Ms. Cummins rejects the ignorant bigots who might wish to graft white victimhood onto her tragedy. That's her choice, an admirable one. But I reject any implication, here or elsewhere, that the constant beating and killing of blacks does not make victims of them. They are victims of our history, of social mores, and of a victimizing economy. Slapping the victims around reminds me of General Patton and his ignorant and inappropriate response to PTSD in a MASH tent.
7
The death sentence that you skim over was also murder.
15
No. No, it's not murder. I don't agree with the death penalty and think life in prison with no parole is a worse sentence than death. The state gave the defendants an opportunity to defend themselves, and under the laws of that state, one of these murderers was eventually executed.
4
True. But it isn't the writer or her family that imposed it.
4
You don't get to tell the family of a victim if they should consider the execution of the murderer of their loved one right or wrong.
You can make a general statement, but this is just rude.
You can make a general statement, but this is just rude.
10
Murder Isn’t Black or White, but it does seem to be Mostly Black.
49
Excuse me? Seems to WHOM?
29
Wow, so all those lynchings, mainly in the south but not exclusively, were committed by other Black folks, right?!
I'm old enough to remember those all-white "sundown towns" in my boyhood home in Indiana where Blacks were told that if found in town after sundown they would be beaten or worse. Funny how blind we whites are when it comes to our own shortcomings.
I'm old enough to remember those all-white "sundown towns" in my boyhood home in Indiana where Blacks were told that if found in town after sundown they would be beaten or worse. Funny how blind we whites are when it comes to our own shortcomings.
10
I'd say that if you look at the statistics, it is more or less even as to the offenders. As for who's getting murdered, you're right, it is mostly black victims.
5
Jeanie is a very brave woman. To write such a moving and well written account of an awful experience. I am so sorry for her lost.
48
Murder may not be Black or White in the sense that we apparently don't know the motives of the 4 perpetrators and we don't know whether or not they would have committed same atrocities if the victims had been Black.
And, it is true that when Whites are murdered, it is more likely the killer is White than Black.
But ... to ignore the fact that Race is related to murder and that when interracial murders occur they are much more likely to be committed by Blacks rather than Whites killing Blacks. By a factor of roughly 10x -- and the overall Black murder rate is roughly 8x that for non Hispanic Whites.
While progressives want to ignore these facts, by doing so they are perpetuating the big social problem of our era. There is a culture of violence and disregard for social mores in Black communities that is destroying all the progress that has been made for Blacks over decades.
You can blame it on poverty or poor educational or job opportunities. But whatever the initial root causes the problem has taken on a life of its own and cannot be excused or ignored.
Progressives want to go after cops. And yes, I cringe when cops use coercive tactics to obtain confessions. I cringe when DA's prosecute innocent people and attempt to obtain convictions regardless. But these are problems with the justice system (which need to be fixed) and the reason they disproportionately affect Blacks is because Blacks commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes.
And, it is true that when Whites are murdered, it is more likely the killer is White than Black.
But ... to ignore the fact that Race is related to murder and that when interracial murders occur they are much more likely to be committed by Blacks rather than Whites killing Blacks. By a factor of roughly 10x -- and the overall Black murder rate is roughly 8x that for non Hispanic Whites.
While progressives want to ignore these facts, by doing so they are perpetuating the big social problem of our era. There is a culture of violence and disregard for social mores in Black communities that is destroying all the progress that has been made for Blacks over decades.
You can blame it on poverty or poor educational or job opportunities. But whatever the initial root causes the problem has taken on a life of its own and cannot be excused or ignored.
Progressives want to go after cops. And yes, I cringe when cops use coercive tactics to obtain confessions. I cringe when DA's prosecute innocent people and attempt to obtain convictions regardless. But these are problems with the justice system (which need to be fixed) and the reason they disproportionately affect Blacks is because Blacks commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes.
88
The racism on display here is remarkable. Of course, it's not really racism, it's just someone declaration of supposed facts. Here's a thought experiment: divide murders or crimes by income instead of race. What do you think you'll find?
27
@ Ralphie - Ralphie, you write "race is related to murder" but I wonder if you really mean racism and then if you would mean, "the murder may be related to the racism of the murderer".
I note this because a Times Verified, Rima Regas, confirmed that many Times commenters use "race" as a synonym for "racism". Race is entirely different from racism so the words are not synonyms.
But if you mean "racism" then it would seem you mean that the murderers are killing because as racists they believe it is acceptable to kill people of the lower "race".
In truth we rarely know exactly why one person kills another. You simply engage in speculation which the Times comment review system allows, but speculation is not very helpful.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA SE
I note this because a Times Verified, Rima Regas, confirmed that many Times commenters use "race" as a synonym for "racism". Race is entirely different from racism so the words are not synonyms.
But if you mean "racism" then it would seem you mean that the murderers are killing because as racists they believe it is acceptable to kill people of the lower "race".
In truth we rarely know exactly why one person kills another. You simply engage in speculation which the Times comment review system allows, but speculation is not very helpful.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA SE
3
Any citations of evidence here, or should we just take your word for it? Race isn't necessarily the most salient characteristic in crime statistics.
Here are some statistics with a citation:
* 62% of nonfatal violent crimes are committed by someone who is known to the victim -- not a stranger.
* More than 70% of murders are committed by someone known to the victim.
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=941
Here are some statistics with a citation:
* 62% of nonfatal violent crimes are committed by someone who is known to the victim -- not a stranger.
* More than 70% of murders are committed by someone known to the victim.
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=941
4
Unwittingly or not, this op-ed is a great argument against "hate-crime" designation for criminal acts. Ms. Cummins' brother and two cousins:
"...were brutally attacked by four strangers...They raped my cousins and restrained my brother before forcing them off a bridge into the Mississippi River. Only my brother survived."
That is the criminal act, regardless of motive.
Ms. Cummins further writes:
"Sometimes a person is just guilty, not because he’s black, but because he’s a murderer. All the hatred began to obscure the only fact that mattered: that Julie and Robin were dead."
"The only fact that mattered". Exactly right. If one thinks that race, religion or sexual orientation of the victim impacts the justice meted out for this crime, or any crime, one is saying that some victims are more deserving of justice than others.
If "...the emphasis on race felt ludicrously, infuriatingly off topic..." when discussing perpetrators, why is it any less off-topic when discussing victims?
Hate-crimes legislation place some victims above others and in doing so obscures the only facts that matter: the criminal act itself.
"...were brutally attacked by four strangers...They raped my cousins and restrained my brother before forcing them off a bridge into the Mississippi River. Only my brother survived."
That is the criminal act, regardless of motive.
Ms. Cummins further writes:
"Sometimes a person is just guilty, not because he’s black, but because he’s a murderer. All the hatred began to obscure the only fact that mattered: that Julie and Robin were dead."
"The only fact that mattered". Exactly right. If one thinks that race, religion or sexual orientation of the victim impacts the justice meted out for this crime, or any crime, one is saying that some victims are more deserving of justice than others.
If "...the emphasis on race felt ludicrously, infuriatingly off topic..." when discussing perpetrators, why is it any less off-topic when discussing victims?
Hate-crimes legislation place some victims above others and in doing so obscures the only facts that matter: the criminal act itself.
44
That is not what a hate crime is,
9
The article below was mentioned in the NY Times as 'proof' of the impact of firearm ownership rates on homicides in the US.
The authors looked at the relationship between gun ownership and age-adjusted firearm homicide rates in the US over a 30-year period, accounting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, etc. The results indicated a relationship between firearm ownership rates and firearm homicide rates, but the authors used suicide with firearm as a proxy for firearm ownership rates and the resulting estimated firearm ownership rates are much higher than the accepted rates based upon surveys.
The article was perhaps mistitled as the most significant predictor of firearm homicide rates was the proportion of blacks in the population, a predictor which was almost six times higher than rates of firearm ownership. Most people choose to not acknowledge the fact that almost 75% of forearm homicides are committed with handguns in low income, urban, black and Hispanic neighborhoods, a fact that needs to be addressed with a different set of solutions than other types of firearm violence. Not acknowledging it and not doing anything about it is racist as it has been going on for decades.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301409
The Relationship Between Gun Ownership and Firearm Homicide Rates in the United States, 1981–2010
The authors looked at the relationship between gun ownership and age-adjusted firearm homicide rates in the US over a 30-year period, accounting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, etc. The results indicated a relationship between firearm ownership rates and firearm homicide rates, but the authors used suicide with firearm as a proxy for firearm ownership rates and the resulting estimated firearm ownership rates are much higher than the accepted rates based upon surveys.
The article was perhaps mistitled as the most significant predictor of firearm homicide rates was the proportion of blacks in the population, a predictor which was almost six times higher than rates of firearm ownership. Most people choose to not acknowledge the fact that almost 75% of forearm homicides are committed with handguns in low income, urban, black and Hispanic neighborhoods, a fact that needs to be addressed with a different set of solutions than other types of firearm violence. Not acknowledging it and not doing anything about it is racist as it has been going on for decades.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301409
The Relationship Between Gun Ownership and Firearm Homicide Rates in the United States, 1981–2010
16
The tragic irony of the gun issue in the US is that the headlines focus the discussions on issues like mass shootings and assault weapon bans while the majority of firearm homicides are committed in urban low income Hispanic and black neighborhoods with handguns. This has been the case for decades, noted in a report to Congress almost two decades ago. In 2014 per a report from the New York Police Department about 98% of the homicide offenders were either black or Hispanic. One can only conclude that the reason for the media, Congress, and people in the US to ignore such a toll and to instead on the smallest contributors to the homicide rate is systematic racism.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/works/
PREVENTING CRIME: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T, WHAT'S PROMISING
A REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS 1997
Primary Conclusion. ….. Substantial reductions in national rates of serious crime can only be achieved by prevention in areas of concentrated poverty, where the majority of all homicides in the nation occur, and where homicide rates are 20 times the national average.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/works/
PREVENTING CRIME: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T, WHAT'S PROMISING
A REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS 1997
Primary Conclusion. ….. Substantial reductions in national rates of serious crime can only be achieved by prevention in areas of concentrated poverty, where the majority of all homicides in the nation occur, and where homicide rates are 20 times the national average.
19
When it comes to punishment, this country has truly lost it. In particular heinous crimes, where perpetrators get maximum help from the system with ludicrous defenses, appeals, and then some, all spanning decades. Even the NYT will bat for them, with regular editorials clamoring to have the death penalty repealed.
The best solution is for us to outsource our heinous crime adjudication to those who wring hands over justice delayed. Please Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump, Texas, there is no doubt that four were on the bridge when this heinous crime was committed. What, public execution in 12 weeks? Thank you.
The best solution is for us to outsource our heinous crime adjudication to those who wring hands over justice delayed. Please Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump, Texas, there is no doubt that four were on the bridge when this heinous crime was committed. What, public execution in 12 weeks? Thank you.
12
I have just discovered a thoughtful reply from Verified Kathleen that illustrates a puzzling yet fundamental misunderstanding of what cljuniper (the comment to which we are replying), I, blackmamba, and even leading scholars like Professor Dorothy Roberts and future Nobel Prize winner Svante Pääbo mean when we write that there is only one race, the human.
Kathleen, who actually refers to Svante Pääbo's research closes with this sentence: "No one group of people is better or worse than any other, but to ignore the fact that all people are not the same is to marginalize and to imperil the health of a great percentage of the inhabitants of our world."
This sentence reveals an extraordinary misunderstanding. We - blackmamba, cljuniper, and blackmamba - three non-verifieds celebrate human difference - but assigning people to "races" is not exactly the best way to celebrate that difference.
The named races are, to use Professor Dorothy Robert's telling phrase, are the Fatal Invention of racists.
Hope to hear from Kathleen.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Kathleen, who actually refers to Svante Pääbo's research closes with this sentence: "No one group of people is better or worse than any other, but to ignore the fact that all people are not the same is to marginalize and to imperil the health of a great percentage of the inhabitants of our world."
This sentence reveals an extraordinary misunderstanding. We - blackmamba, cljuniper, and blackmamba - three non-verifieds celebrate human difference - but assigning people to "races" is not exactly the best way to celebrate that difference.
The named races are, to use Professor Dorothy Robert's telling phrase, are the Fatal Invention of racists.
Hope to hear from Kathleen.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
8
So the author and many of the posts suggest that this tragedy is not about race - that sometimes bad things happen to good people - and sometimes those bad people are black and the good people are white. Fair enough.
But maybe someone should tell that to Charles Blow and the other racial zealots who see a racial motivation every time a white cop (or black cop as in the case of Freddy Gray) kills a black suspect. According to the NY Times today (see link below), police killed 74 unarmed black men in 2015. While this is tragic, it pales in comparison to the over 2500 people killed by blacks each year. In fact, according to Obama's own Justice Department, a black person is 8x as likely to be a murderer than a white person.
It doesn't need to be racial. In fact, the overwhelming number of murders are intra-racial. But the fact that so violence permeates so much of black culture is an issue that gets far less press coverage but is at least as important than the rare police killing.
NY Times article -
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/opinion/a-better-standard-for-the-use-...
Department of Justice Study -
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
But maybe someone should tell that to Charles Blow and the other racial zealots who see a racial motivation every time a white cop (or black cop as in the case of Freddy Gray) kills a black suspect. According to the NY Times today (see link below), police killed 74 unarmed black men in 2015. While this is tragic, it pales in comparison to the over 2500 people killed by blacks each year. In fact, according to Obama's own Justice Department, a black person is 8x as likely to be a murderer than a white person.
It doesn't need to be racial. In fact, the overwhelming number of murders are intra-racial. But the fact that so violence permeates so much of black culture is an issue that gets far less press coverage but is at least as important than the rare police killing.
NY Times article -
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/opinion/a-better-standard-for-the-use-...
Department of Justice Study -
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
83
I'm amazed and depressed that you put forward a ridiculous apples-vs-oranges comparison to support your callous conclusion, even more so that somebody at the NY Times gave you an "Times pick" for it.
Ok, there were 74 unarmed black men killed by police in 2015. How many unarmed white men were killed by police? Why bring this up as it relates to your claim?
There were 6 officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray: 3 are white, 3 black, one of the latter three is a woman.
Why do we hear about "Obama's own Justice Department?" He doesn't own it. It's the Justice Dept. I own it as much as you own it as much as Obama "owns it."
Your claim is that police killings of blacks are irrelevant because there are 2500 people killed by blacks each year?
That's simply disgusting. Individuals who murder are exactly that. Police who murder do so as our empowered representatives. That you fail to understand or accept any responsibility in these matters, indeed appear to condone it, is beyond the pale ... dressing it up with a bunch of unrelated statistics or not.
Ok, there were 74 unarmed black men killed by police in 2015. How many unarmed white men were killed by police? Why bring this up as it relates to your claim?
There were 6 officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray: 3 are white, 3 black, one of the latter three is a woman.
Why do we hear about "Obama's own Justice Department?" He doesn't own it. It's the Justice Dept. I own it as much as you own it as much as Obama "owns it."
Your claim is that police killings of blacks are irrelevant because there are 2500 people killed by blacks each year?
That's simply disgusting. Individuals who murder are exactly that. Police who murder do so as our empowered representatives. That you fail to understand or accept any responsibility in these matters, indeed appear to condone it, is beyond the pale ... dressing it up with a bunch of unrelated statistics or not.
33
@#Princeton 2015
not sure where you get the '2500 people killed by blacks each year' but the actual number is more than double that figure. In 2014 there were 6,095 black homicide victims and the overwhelming majority were killed by over blacks. That doesn't include whites and Hispanics killed by blacks.
not sure where you get the '2500 people killed by blacks each year' but the actual number is more than double that figure. In 2014 there were 6,095 black homicide victims and the overwhelming majority were killed by over blacks. That doesn't include whites and Hispanics killed by blacks.
24
@ Princeton - Princeton, just for the record, there are no distinct races except in classifications like the USCB's, which has no scientific basis.
Do you mean that you know that this murder was the act of a racist (or several racists)? If so you are saying that the blacks were the racists. There is nothing here that tells us how we know why the murders took place. But whether the killer was black or white or brown or pick your color this should not in principle affect the verdict. In reality we know that in the US racism is at work in many settings but just remember, white on black racism is not the only kind.
Do you mean that you know that this murder was the act of a racist (or several racists)? If so you are saying that the blacks were the racists. There is nothing here that tells us how we know why the murders took place. But whether the killer was black or white or brown or pick your color this should not in principle affect the verdict. In reality we know that in the US racism is at work in many settings but just remember, white on black racism is not the only kind.
There are about 12,000 murders each year in the United States; however, interracial murders are relatively rare. The FBI Uniform Crime Report (Expanded Homicide Data Table 6) for 2014 shows that 446 blacks murdered whites while 187 whites (including Hispanics) murdered blacks. Black-on-white murders make up about 3.7 percent of murders while white-on-black murders make up about 1.6 percent of murders. However, only a small percent of interracial murders are categorized as hate crimes because so many are committed during robberies, rapes or other felonies. Many people think more interracial murders should be charged as hate crimes. For example, a black gunman walks into a convenience store and points a gun at the white store clerk. The store clerk opens the cash register and hands over the money, but the gunman—for no apparent reason—then shoots and kills the store clerk. Is this a hate crime? Not according to the FBI. Dylann Roof regarded the black-on-white murders he read about on a white supremacist website as hate crimes. In his manifesto, he listed revenge for these black-on-white murders as his motivation for the Charleston Church Massacre. Roof killed nine African Americans simply because they shared the same skin color of the people who committed the black-on-white murders. The Charleston Church Massacre was an obvious hate crime, but should we be treating more interracial murders, or even all interracial murders as hate crimes?
7
@William Case
The data you cite is based on a subset of all murders- single victim/single offender- which totals 5,703 murders, not 12,000.
The correct percentages from your table are:
white offender/black victim 187 of 2,451 or 7.6%
black offender/white victim 446 of 3,021 or 14.8%
The data you cite is based on a subset of all murders- single victim/single offender- which totals 5,703 murders, not 12,000.
The correct percentages from your table are:
white offender/black victim 187 of 2,451 or 7.6%
black offender/white victim 446 of 3,021 or 14.8%
5
THE COLOR OF MURDER What is it? A beautiful book, The Color of Water, describes the childhood of a bi-racial man and his white mother, born Jewish, who married an African American. All of the 12 children and the other went to college. The title of the book was the mother's answer to her son's question, What color is God? Beyond the ethnic and racial differences human have invented for themselves, is the fact that the oldest human remains come from African. So at this time, as best we know, we're all descended from Africans. We're all Africans. Meaning we also all carry genes from Africans. I think it's high time we get over ourselves and realize that we humans are all together on this Earth, where we must find a way to stabilize and reverse global climate change or ultimately perish. Mass extinctions in the history of life on earth, knows no color. I take family murders personally, as I lost my beloved cousin, Fern Toby Newman in 1973 on Thanksgiving weekend. She was 19 and intended to finish her senior project so she could graduate college in 3 years. Her murderer, an estranged boyfriend, has threatened her life. After ending hers, he went to a motel and took his own. The cruelty of his letter to my aunt and uncle explaining why he took Fern and his own lives, words fail to describe. Maybe Freud was right when he said that humans had both a death instinct, Thanatos, and a life instinct, Eros. Now, in the New Year, I invite all to Choose Life!
14
@ John Smith - JS welcome to the small group of commenters who are introducing our fellow Americans to the seemingly radical idea that "races" are the inventions pf racists, designed to be used in creating raciall orders.
I am trying to reply to each such commenter since the Times columnists hold fast to the use of race designations that have no scientific foundation.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
I am trying to reply to each such commenter since the Times columnists hold fast to the use of race designations that have no scientific foundation.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
12
Jeanine, first of all I am truly sorry that your cousins were at the wrong place at the wrong time and I am sorry for your loss. Having said that I think many teenagers ( such as those attackers) had/have a lot of misplaced anger. Unfortunately at this time race relations in this country are at the lowest since the 1960's. We have not made any progress.
5
She said it wasn't about race and you inject race into it. Wow. Talk about misplaced anger
7
When I read you sentence that "many teenagers had/have a lot of misplaced anger," my heart sank. I'm guessing that you are trying to be thoughtful and understand the possibly complex lives of the perpetrators, but I simply do not understand how you can read a story about these individuals being murdered and then try to say that it was probably due to misplaced anger. Misplaced anger is yelling at someone that does not deserve it. I will even go so far as to say that misplaced anger is hitting someone that does not deserve it, but to use that in the context of murder??? Since when have we started to excuse murder as being part of a difficult life and misplaced anger? These are individuals with serious pathologies and no amount of anger can explain away their actions.
I agree with the author that is has nothing to do with race and therefore anyone trying to put a racial spin on it or explain away the horrific actions because or racial tensions and misplaced anger are willfully choosing to view things through a particular lens.
I agree with the author that is has nothing to do with race and therefore anyone trying to put a racial spin on it or explain away the horrific actions because or racial tensions and misplaced anger are willfully choosing to view things through a particular lens.
26
What we confuse and conflate with race is the result of being colored by chronological ecological isolation's impact on human biological evolutionary genetic DNA selection of the fittest.
Murdering any human being is racist. Because there is only one human race that began in East Africa dusky walking upright about 180-200, 000 years ago. But in America we have historically made race about the color that led to the enslavement and debased discrimination of Africans in America. More recently we have confused race with faith, ethnicity and national origin.
Killing any innocent human being is morally inhumanely black and white.
Murdering any human being is racist. Because there is only one human race that began in East Africa dusky walking upright about 180-200, 000 years ago. But in America we have historically made race about the color that led to the enslavement and debased discrimination of Africans in America. More recently we have confused race with faith, ethnicity and national origin.
Killing any innocent human being is morally inhumanely black and white.
9
@ blackmamba - black I have been waiting for you to appear and have named you in my comments and replies. The comment section here contains for the first time comments by new commenters pointing out that there is only one race. When will a Times writer make that statement?
One commenter, Kathleen, replies to me that people like you and me who write that there is only one race believe that we do not believe in human difference. This is an astonishing statement so I have asked her to explain why and how she could write that.
Gott nytt år - I hope some good things come your way in 2016
Larry
One commenter, Kathleen, replies to me that people like you and me who write that there is only one race believe that we do not believe in human difference. This is an astonishing statement so I have asked her to explain why and how she could write that.
Gott nytt år - I hope some good things come your way in 2016
Larry
4
So, it's back to the behavior of cops, isn't it? The racial part of this story is not about the crime itself, but about the behavior of the cops who commit their own crimes with impunity.
6
And so they do, ejzim.
4
Ms. Cummins moving account of her cousins murder is an important read. There are many instances where race has nothing to do with the determination of guilt or innocence. There are times when race is a proper marker for suspect identification and times when its use simply stirs passions well beyond the facts of what actually happened. And there are times when the lens of race invokes pain, injustices and historical memories that we must struggle with as a back story, but not the key element in the search for truth when a horrible crime occurs.
Sadly, race in America today has made this always difficult sorting out process more rather than less challenging. Let's hope that Ms. Cummins story will help all of us in this ongoing process.
Sadly, race in America today has made this always difficult sorting out process more rather than less challenging. Let's hope that Ms. Cummins story will help all of us in this ongoing process.
8
According to the FBI there are about 12 million arrests per year. In the year after Ferguson, the national media reported on 24 racially charged police shootings and has declared a racist crisis in law enforcement. The decline in the reporting of boiler-plate crime without racial implications communicates to me that grossly insufficient evidence of a racial crisis has been wrongly give priority over the millions of crimes that affect millions of Americans. 24 cases out of 12 million?
13
What about "dead" do you not understand? There are not 12 million arrests for murder each year.
6
The cops made 12 million stops. Most of the media attention went solely to 24 race-charged stops. The article is about how race is not the whole story of crime, as is my point. Your point is that nothing is relevant but murder. That misses the point.
1
still happening to this day.
2
You know, I'm not trying to be mean, but please tell me where the author offers anything about "the distortions a racial lens puts on so much that is important in our society" ???
6
"So yes, while my white cousins were attacked by some black men, the emphasis on race felt ludicrously, infuriatingly off topic. Sometimes a person is just guilty, not because he’s black, but because he’s a murderer. All the hatred began to obscure the only fact that mattered: that Julie and Robin were dead."
She's saying that her family did not want to focus on the fact that the accused were black. But white racists will certainly want to focus on that!
She's saying that her family did not want to focus on the fact that the accused were black. But white racists will certainly want to focus on that!
9
Violent criminality is rampant in many black communities. Minimizing that simple fact, or worse, excusing it, is not the answer. It is a social and cultural problem, not a racial one, but it is black. Face it, if you are not a coward or driven by a political/ideological agenda.
42
I would argue that fear and paranoia drive the increased tendency to label black crime more violent. One must ask themselves why do stories about crime, disease and poor education put black faces to the topic but upbeat ones white face. It should be noted that as an example to both races being entrenched in the same battles look no further than herione addiction and sentencing. For years tough sentencing was needed for urban drug problems yet today these same problems are mental health issues with lesser penalties needed. What has changed? The drug users are predominantly white. The highest concentration of citizens with hiv are from a small white town on indiana. We need to remove race from the discussion and bring policy that helps not deflects.
7
What a beautiful and painful and honest piece of writing. I cannot imagine what it has taken the author to find her way to this deep understanding of the distortions a racial lens puts on so much that is important in our society.
40
Ms. Cummins has my sympathy. Sexual violence is rampant all around the world. Too often, social status, military rank, or pale skin give the perpetrators a “get out of jail” pass. How often do white suspects in rape cases have confessions beaten out of them? Rape has been a lynching offense in the South when the suspects were black and the victims were white. When the suspects were white and the victims were black, what was it? Sowing wild oats?
Certainly, murder has no color, but equally certainly "justice" too often does. There is only one human race, but the supporters of slavery gave America a lexicon of oppression and injustice that will take a very long time to dig out of American psyches. The laxest gun laws are found in states whose economies flourished on slavery; the lowest levels of educational achievement, and rejection of scientific evidence are strongest in Dixie. Our battle is for hearts and minds, and ultimately for the survival of the Union. Racism by any name is an existential threat. If Ms. Cummins can help to end that national curse, good for her.
Certainly, murder has no color, but equally certainly "justice" too often does. There is only one human race, but the supporters of slavery gave America a lexicon of oppression and injustice that will take a very long time to dig out of American psyches. The laxest gun laws are found in states whose economies flourished on slavery; the lowest levels of educational achievement, and rejection of scientific evidence are strongest in Dixie. Our battle is for hearts and minds, and ultimately for the survival of the Union. Racism by any name is an existential threat. If Ms. Cummins can help to end that national curse, good for her.
11
Looking for a commenter who...
Read these sentences by Jeanine Cummins: "I have written about this story before. But there’s one element of it that I always avoided: race." and "What I mean is, I really don’t want to write about race."
Jeanine Cummins is not alone. In 2015 in countless reports on racism - almost exclusively white on black racism - not one NYT writer and very few commenters dealt with these basic questions: 1) Do you understand that the concept of "race" is the fatal invention of racists? 2) If you do, why do you use the concept?
If that is true, as made clear by Dorothy Roberts in her book "Fatal Invention..." then why doesn't someone answer this question: What are the costs of the uniquely American practice of framing all thought in terms of race designations having no scientific nor logical foundation?
To answer that question requires a serious conversation about "race". Since Times writer will not touch that subject, I am searching for commenters who will. Today, there is that rarest of commenters, one who does touch the subject. cljuniper in Denver. Read and reply to cl.
blackmamba is the only other commenter I know of who regularly raises this question that I raise almost daily. So I start the New Year by looking for commenters who understand what I am trying to get across - my Gmail at
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
dual citizen USA-SE
Read these sentences by Jeanine Cummins: "I have written about this story before. But there’s one element of it that I always avoided: race." and "What I mean is, I really don’t want to write about race."
Jeanine Cummins is not alone. In 2015 in countless reports on racism - almost exclusively white on black racism - not one NYT writer and very few commenters dealt with these basic questions: 1) Do you understand that the concept of "race" is the fatal invention of racists? 2) If you do, why do you use the concept?
If that is true, as made clear by Dorothy Roberts in her book "Fatal Invention..." then why doesn't someone answer this question: What are the costs of the uniquely American practice of framing all thought in terms of race designations having no scientific nor logical foundation?
To answer that question requires a serious conversation about "race". Since Times writer will not touch that subject, I am searching for commenters who will. Today, there is that rarest of commenters, one who does touch the subject. cljuniper in Denver. Read and reply to cl.
blackmamba is the only other commenter I know of who regularly raises this question that I raise almost daily. So I start the New Year by looking for commenters who understand what I am trying to get across - my Gmail at
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
dual citizen USA-SE
9
Magnificent obsession, Larry. Discrimination is not dependent on overt descriptors. In Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants share skin color and genes, but when dominant, Protestant employers never had to ask a job applicant's religion. They inferred it from the educational record. St. Mary's? Hmmmm....
5
@dEs joHnson,
Good point. I've got extended family so I feel their pain.
1-1-16@6:26 pm est
Good point. I've got extended family so I feel their pain.
1-1-16@6:26 pm est
1
You ask, “What are the costs of the uniquely American practice of framing all thought in terms of race designations having no scientific nor logical foundation?” The answer is that Americans, of course, don’t “frame all thought in terms of race designations” and the concept of race isn’t uniquely American. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus became the first to classify humans among the primates when he published Systema Naturae (1735). He subdivided the human species into four varieties, or sub-species, based on continent and skin color: "Europæus albus" (white European), "Americanus rubescens" (red American), "Asiaticus fuscus" (brown Asian) and "Africanus Niger" (black African). He later changed “Asiaticus fuscus” to “Asiaticu luridus" (yellow Asian). Linnaeus wasn’t a “racist.” He simply classified animals, including man, the same as he had classified plants—by appearance. Linnaeus did not understand how variations in appearance among different human populations occurred, but today we know that the differences in human appearance that we characterized as race emerged due to genetic drift and adaptation to changing environment as population groups evolved in geographic isolation. Do you really think genetics has no scientific basis?
8
"When those cops put their hands on Reginald Clemons, they didn’t just violate him; they violated the justice that Julie and Robin deserve. What happened to him doesn’t offset his guilt."
This piece is simply excellent. An impartial analysis of events centered around horrible, brutal murders, after raping those young women. Many analyses, nay typical ones are sadly distorted & counterproductive, perpetuating the racial tension.
Everything followed after the Ferguson tragedy was counterproductive. Whites quietly blamed Michael Brown; some even cheered Darren Wilson. Blacks blamed the racist cops. No sensible resolution. "Hands up. Don't shoot" didn't happen but it became the now classic narrative, unnecessarily aggravating racial wrath & racial prejudice.
I would blame black leaders. They have to step up and acknowledge the violent tendencies of young black men. Then they should extract needed help from indifferent white majority to find jobs with more attractive than minimum wage pay. Preschool education should be stressed maximum; one way or another induce reading habits in black children and get them spell well. If at all possible make an all out effort to minimize "ebonic" accent. If a black young man or woman sounds white over the phone it would be far easier for them to be hired at a job. You can't blame the society for holding a modicum of prejudice that a "white-sounding" person maybe more reliable than a "black-sounding" person. Unfortunately that's reality.
This piece is simply excellent. An impartial analysis of events centered around horrible, brutal murders, after raping those young women. Many analyses, nay typical ones are sadly distorted & counterproductive, perpetuating the racial tension.
Everything followed after the Ferguson tragedy was counterproductive. Whites quietly blamed Michael Brown; some even cheered Darren Wilson. Blacks blamed the racist cops. No sensible resolution. "Hands up. Don't shoot" didn't happen but it became the now classic narrative, unnecessarily aggravating racial wrath & racial prejudice.
I would blame black leaders. They have to step up and acknowledge the violent tendencies of young black men. Then they should extract needed help from indifferent white majority to find jobs with more attractive than minimum wage pay. Preschool education should be stressed maximum; one way or another induce reading habits in black children and get them spell well. If at all possible make an all out effort to minimize "ebonic" accent. If a black young man or woman sounds white over the phone it would be far easier for them to be hired at a job. You can't blame the society for holding a modicum of prejudice that a "white-sounding" person maybe more reliable than a "black-sounding" person. Unfortunately that's reality.
23
This comment is horrible. Black leaders have to "acknowledge the violent tendencies of young black men" ?
You really think it's ok to make such a gross generalization?
You really think it's ok to make such a gross generalization?
4
A "race" industry certainly exists in this country. An entire group, from pundits to leaders, has capitalized on it. Politicians pander to it.
Were race to be stripped away, a lot of people (like Mr. Blow) would be out of a job. Perhaps their efforts could be better spent.
Were race to be stripped away, a lot of people (like Mr. Blow) would be out of a job. Perhaps their efforts could be better spent.
17
"I would blame black leaders. They have to step up and acknowledge the violent tendencies of young black men." —
No human is born with a trait of violence . This includes black men. To see black men as violent is soul crushing and sad.
No human is born with a trait of violence . This includes black men. To see black men as violent is soul crushing and sad.
6
When a violent crime or senseless murder is announced on our news, it is invariably committed by a young black man. Either the news reporting for these crimes is selective, or this type of crime done by young black men is grossly disprortionate to the rest of the population. Crime statistics point to a grossly higher violent crime rate for young black men. It appears to be an "inconvenient truth".
28
I'm pretty sure the reporting is selective and the noticing of the reporting by a viewer may also be selective, unnoticed by that viewer. One thing that makes ours a racist society is that it's virtually impossible not to be affected by race (as socially defined). Many psychological studies have shown that perceived race influences people's evaluations of others and that black people suffer lower evaluation as a result than they would have if not black. For instance, identical resumes sent out with white-sounding or black-sounding names are not treated similarly, to a statistically significant degree.
3
Sadly, this was not the only black on white murder in this area. Another infamous and brutal case in this area. Gary and Donna Decker were at the Grandpa Pidgeons on Lewis and Clark when Gary was murdered in the parking lot and Donna was abducted and murdered by two African Americans a few years prior to the brutal rape-murder of the Kerry girls. This was an area that was starting to change racially. Many of the white residents of North County had already been forced to move from North St. Louis due to rising crime rates. Needless to say, brutal murders such as these certainly had a racial subtext to the white residents of nearby towns such as Bellefontaine Neighbors, Jennings, Dellwood, Spanish Lake, Glasgow Village, and yes, Ferguson that were undergoing racial change at the time.
Ms. Cummins is entitled to her beliefs about these horrific murders. I cannot imagine the terror of being thrown into the Mississippi near the dangerous currents at Chain of Rocks after being raped. There is a barge canal around this area as the currents are too dangerous for barge traffic, let alone people. How she wants to deal with these murders of her family members is her business. I am sorry that police misconduct happened. But, the white residents and former residents of North County are also entitled to their beliefs about these cases as well. Talk to people who once lived there and they will tell you about how much they miss the area, but also how thankful they are to be gone.
Ms. Cummins is entitled to her beliefs about these horrific murders. I cannot imagine the terror of being thrown into the Mississippi near the dangerous currents at Chain of Rocks after being raped. There is a barge canal around this area as the currents are too dangerous for barge traffic, let alone people. How she wants to deal with these murders of her family members is her business. I am sorry that police misconduct happened. But, the white residents and former residents of North County are also entitled to their beliefs about these cases as well. Talk to people who once lived there and they will tell you about how much they miss the area, but also how thankful they are to be gone.
37
"Talk to people who once lived there and they will tell you about how much they miss the area, but also how thankful they are to be gone."
I fully agree with you, Ron. The majority of people who left the city to the suburbs did so, out of fear of young black men. Then people began not to consider living in the city, again out of high crime rate in the city. It had much less to do with racism. The black leaders should realize & acknowledge this plain fact. There are racist people who don't want to deal with black people, but they are a small minority.
If the whites hadn't moved out the city of St Louis would remain flourished. That would have very good for the blacks who never were able to leave the inner city. For the plight of blacks, their poverty, high unemployment, etc. are the result of over-aggressiveness of young black men. Nobody dares to say so. So it should fall on the shoulders of black leaders. They are doing the opposite. Democrats have no choice but support the utterances of black leaders, otherwise they would lose out in elections.
As I said elsewhere, the society, the white majority, instead of remaining mum should quietly canvass black leaders to get involved, to be realistic and tell black people that it's mostly their fault that are in fact going downhill, not making progress. Forget about racist cops. Stop killing each other, not to terrorize the neighborhood, like Michael brown did in his "strong-armed" robbery, before he was shot to death.
I fully agree with you, Ron. The majority of people who left the city to the suburbs did so, out of fear of young black men. Then people began not to consider living in the city, again out of high crime rate in the city. It had much less to do with racism. The black leaders should realize & acknowledge this plain fact. There are racist people who don't want to deal with black people, but they are a small minority.
If the whites hadn't moved out the city of St Louis would remain flourished. That would have very good for the blacks who never were able to leave the inner city. For the plight of blacks, their poverty, high unemployment, etc. are the result of over-aggressiveness of young black men. Nobody dares to say so. So it should fall on the shoulders of black leaders. They are doing the opposite. Democrats have no choice but support the utterances of black leaders, otherwise they would lose out in elections.
As I said elsewhere, the society, the white majority, instead of remaining mum should quietly canvass black leaders to get involved, to be realistic and tell black people that it's mostly their fault that are in fact going downhill, not making progress. Forget about racist cops. Stop killing each other, not to terrorize the neighborhood, like Michael brown did in his "strong-armed" robbery, before he was shot to death.
7
If, G-d forbid, anything like this had ever happened in my family, I would have wanted the perpetrators of the crime dead and gone regardless of their races and ages, and I wouldn't have been particular about the manner in which the evidence against them was gathered, providing I was convinced that it hadn't been fabricated. There is nothing about this case that seems complicated to me or in need of debate. Some people raped and murdered some other people, and some of them appear to have gotten away with it.
11
A major dissonance here--a confession beaten out of a suspect is likely to be unreliable, and just as bad as fabricated. Even the Supreme Court of Israel outlawed torture.
7
What do you mean "even" the Supreme Court of Israel outlawed torture?
Most of us would be clamoring for the death penalty if our loved ones were stabbed, run over, shot, and bombed by Muslims, as Jewish civilians have been in the state of Israel.
And when you think that Israel has given back buffer zones won legitimately in war, as well as released many, many Arab murderers from prison in exchange for the corpses of several Israeli soldiers, you have to wonder about such a word: "even."
Most of us would be clamoring for the death penalty if our loved ones were stabbed, run over, shot, and bombed by Muslims, as Jewish civilians have been in the state of Israel.
And when you think that Israel has given back buffer zones won legitimately in war, as well as released many, many Arab murderers from prison in exchange for the corpses of several Israeli soldiers, you have to wonder about such a word: "even."
7
"Even" acknowledges that if torture had any validity against dedicated, ideologically motivated enemies the constant and deadly threats to Israel would justify its use there. The UK used torture in Ireland in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and against IRA suspects in Northern Ireland and in England in the 1970s. The result yielded false confessions but no actionable intelligence. Strong-arm tactics can work against criminals but are unreliable against politically motivated suspects--sometimes worse than unreliable, with confusing confessions.
FBI methods of interrogation have proven superior and more reliable. So, this is known even in Israel if not in the USA. What family members feel in the wake of outrages is often irrelevant to good policing, detection, and prevention. Anger is a poor tool against terrorists.
FBI methods of interrogation have proven superior and more reliable. So, this is known even in Israel if not in the USA. What family members feel in the wake of outrages is often irrelevant to good policing, detection, and prevention. Anger is a poor tool against terrorists.
7
Blood is RED. End of discussion.
7
Amen.
1
The article's title is correct: Murder Isn't Black or White.
Murder is sin.
God clearly commands: "Thou shalt not kill."
Murder is sin.
God clearly commands: "Thou shalt not kill."
7
Thank you CL Juniper,
I also remember Mayor Katz, though I was a very new black arrival to the area. I agree with your assessment, we humans are all one race but it has proven too beneficial for some to give up the extra perqs that come from being white, "Whites Only" Privilege. When we have 30 of the governors of US states pushing things that are just a few steps away from being totally racist, we are going backwards rather than forward.
Unbeknownst to you probably is the fact that Portland/Multnomah County Courts are highly vested in racism/special privilege. The courts, all the way up to the Oregon Supreme Court protects groups like Fry's, HP and even the courts themselves when blacks/minority people bring even civil actions. While portions of this is historical, some is even as recent as 12/8/2015.
The well heeled clients do not even bother to properly appear though the law states that they must or suffer non-appealable defaults. For the NYTimes to publish such statements, if they even will, I have to cite case numbers so I cite Thomas v HP 15SC32891. HP did not even have to provide a subpoenaed document and sent only a tech to say HP is here. The judge, Herranz, was also the defense attorney defending then ruling that HP did not need to do as ordered. She gave HP things HP did not even ask while NOT allowing cheap NECESSARY expenses. I was declared a winner but no expenses.
Diff judge, same result, Fry's did not have to answer summons, just show up & guaranteed win.
I also remember Mayor Katz, though I was a very new black arrival to the area. I agree with your assessment, we humans are all one race but it has proven too beneficial for some to give up the extra perqs that come from being white, "Whites Only" Privilege. When we have 30 of the governors of US states pushing things that are just a few steps away from being totally racist, we are going backwards rather than forward.
Unbeknownst to you probably is the fact that Portland/Multnomah County Courts are highly vested in racism/special privilege. The courts, all the way up to the Oregon Supreme Court protects groups like Fry's, HP and even the courts themselves when blacks/minority people bring even civil actions. While portions of this is historical, some is even as recent as 12/8/2015.
The well heeled clients do not even bother to properly appear though the law states that they must or suffer non-appealable defaults. For the NYTimes to publish such statements, if they even will, I have to cite case numbers so I cite Thomas v HP 15SC32891. HP did not even have to provide a subpoenaed document and sent only a tech to say HP is here. The judge, Herranz, was also the defense attorney defending then ruling that HP did not need to do as ordered. She gave HP things HP did not even ask while NOT allowing cheap NECESSARY expenses. I was declared a winner but no expenses.
Diff judge, same result, Fry's did not have to answer summons, just show up & guaranteed win.
1
@ World Expat - South east Asia - Expat I am adding you to my 2016 list of rare NYT commenters who along with blackmamba and me and today cljuniper, whom you cite in your opening lines, are aware of the USA's South African apartheid view of "race".
We all write "there is only one race, the human" following my intellectual heroine, Professor Dorothy Roberts, whom I cite in my comment accepted at the same time as yours. So in my comment I invite commenters like you to make contact with me.
You add the useful observation that I have offered many times by citing Haney-Lopez "White By Law" one element of which is to note that the USCB offers people its special gift "you, lucky you, get to be white by law".
If you read all the "race" OpEds and especially Charles Blow "Constructing A Conversation On Race" then you know that no NYT writer will touch the subject of American classification by "race".
Keep writing, more often. You won't get many recommends so hope for replies.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
We all write "there is only one race, the human" following my intellectual heroine, Professor Dorothy Roberts, whom I cite in my comment accepted at the same time as yours. So in my comment I invite commenters like you to make contact with me.
You add the useful observation that I have offered many times by citing Haney-Lopez "White By Law" one element of which is to note that the USCB offers people its special gift "you, lucky you, get to be white by law".
If you read all the "race" OpEds and especially Charles Blow "Constructing A Conversation On Race" then you know that no NYT writer will touch the subject of American classification by "race".
Keep writing, more often. You won't get many recommends so hope for replies.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
2
It is not "race" as much as it is wealth.
The wealthy get what they want and when they want and how they want it
and the rest of us pay the "carrying cost".
That the experience of most "Big City" rich liberals have of the "Poor"
is that they are also "Minorities" - this distorts their understanding of
poverty and crime in America.
"Racism" would be lessened if more minorities were in the middle
and upper classes but until that happens the conflation of the
two realities will continue.
The wealthy get what they want and when they want and how they want it
and the rest of us pay the "carrying cost".
That the experience of most "Big City" rich liberals have of the "Poor"
is that they are also "Minorities" - this distorts their understanding of
poverty and crime in America.
"Racism" would be lessened if more minorities were in the middle
and upper classes but until that happens the conflation of the
two realities will continue.
3
First, my condolences to you, Ms. Cummins and your family, for the pain you've endured over the years. Of course, you're haunted by this. If I were you, I'd be furious for the "coercion" not just for compromised civil rights of the perpetrator, but for the diversion and/or dilution of the case that resulted. How could I or anyone not be? The goal, principle or whatever, that we're guided by in the U.S. is justice, regardless of race or culture, etc., even if we don't live up to it.
If you could please clarify, a few things it would help my overall comprehension of your piece. Since the focus of your piece appears to be race and not only justice, I'm confused by your description of your cousins as Puerto Rican and their father as Lebanese. I thought those designations referred to nationalities, not race or skin color.
Also, who is "no one" at the bottom of your piece? When you wrote of this before, did you received hostile feedback, even though you didn't refer to race? Please understand, I'm a subscriber who's never heard of these criminal cases before and when I read "no one can do" or "no one is allowed" to a pieced published for NYT readers, I feel as though I'm receiving an admonishment or something which I haven't earned.
I shan't comment on "were these guys black" etc., that's baggage for a historian or documentarian to work with and I am neither. Might I suggest, however, if you "really don't want to write about race" don't do it.
12-31-15@9:01 pm est
If you could please clarify, a few things it would help my overall comprehension of your piece. Since the focus of your piece appears to be race and not only justice, I'm confused by your description of your cousins as Puerto Rican and their father as Lebanese. I thought those designations referred to nationalities, not race or skin color.
Also, who is "no one" at the bottom of your piece? When you wrote of this before, did you received hostile feedback, even though you didn't refer to race? Please understand, I'm a subscriber who's never heard of these criminal cases before and when I read "no one can do" or "no one is allowed" to a pieced published for NYT readers, I feel as though I'm receiving an admonishment or something which I haven't earned.
I shan't comment on "were these guys black" etc., that's baggage for a historian or documentarian to work with and I am neither. Might I suggest, however, if you "really don't want to write about race" don't do it.
12-31-15@9:01 pm est
1
In the mid-1990s working for Mayor Katz of Portland OR, whose motto was Embrace Diversity, I served on a team of about 8 people to devise the city's own "census" so we'd get better, faster data on how our citizens were faring. At the first meeting to decide what we'd ask people, a demographer said "Of course, we'll ask age, sex and race." That pushed a button for me - I'd like to see us evolve to a race-free society. It seemed like the act of making people check a box of which of 6 "races" they were was an antiquated habit, probably doing more harm than good. I proposed we eliminate the "race" question as part of moving towards a race-free city. Much discussion ensued. Eventually I lost based on the strong convictions of an African-american who was a sort of representative of the African-american community, who felt that eliminating the race choice would eliminate important statistics. I simply encourage all who believe we should head for a race-free society, on which much progress had been made until recently, to stand up for race-free thinking and data gathering. Clearly racial tensions exist that need defusing somehow; I still tend to think it helps to get rid of race concepts since we are all humans, one race.
13
Have to say that I agree with the African-American person, since some distinctions that some in authority may view as an invitation to abuse will always be apparent in person, regardless of whether we have boxes to check. The boxes are just a way of formally noting those distinctions and may even discourage disparate treatment by enabling sorting of outcomes by race, gender, age, etc. And as an amateur genealogist who has relatives of various colors and ethnicities, I've found the racial and geographic data in census records extremely helpful in building my extended family tree.
7
Hiding a problem doesn't make it go away.
3
@ cljuniper - first things first - I would like to hear from you (Gmail at blog URL below) because you are the 1 in 1000 NYT commenters who like blackmamba and me ask why Americans are so committed to belief in "race" the fatal invention of racists.
I have filed a comment at 08:23 GMT pointing to you as one of the tiny number of Times commenters who could even consider saying what you, I, and blackmamba say in your final sentence. Times writers could not dream of saying that, even Professor George Yancy who was given 19 columns advertised as dealing with race but actually dealing only with racism. I hope you will read my comment if accepted and be heard from.
Larry
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen - USA-SE
Phrase "fatal invention" from Fatal Invention-How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in The Twenty-first Century by Dorothy Roberts, Professor of Sociology and Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania, black but not African American and belonging to the only race, the human.
I have filed a comment at 08:23 GMT pointing to you as one of the tiny number of Times commenters who could even consider saying what you, I, and blackmamba say in your final sentence. Times writers could not dream of saying that, even Professor George Yancy who was given 19 columns advertised as dealing with race but actually dealing only with racism. I hope you will read my comment if accepted and be heard from.
Larry
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen - USA-SE
Phrase "fatal invention" from Fatal Invention-How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in The Twenty-first Century by Dorothy Roberts, Professor of Sociology and Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania, black but not African American and belonging to the only race, the human.
1
When it is as likely that assailants are Jewish rabbinical students, Mormon missionaries, or visiting Asian software engineers as they are African-American young men between the ages of 18 and 35, murder will cease to be black or white.
What a terrible tragedy for you and your family.
What a terrible tragedy for you and your family.
69
You're just not gonna listen to what she said, are you?
6
It's not #AllLivesMatterAsLongAsTheyAreDeserving. Or #BlackLivesMatterAsLongAsTheyWereInnocent.
This author points out that fair treatment is required for everyone, that even a guilty person should not have been beaten into confessing. Improper actions by the police have tainted the whole process of obtaining justice.
Michael Brown's actions were not worthy of execution, and his death took place against a backdrop of constant harassment by police on the poor (and black) citizens of Ferguson. His life mattered because he was a person. The prior behaviour of the police matters, because they have been shown to be hateful and biased. The police tainted the process, long before Michael Brown met his end. And this is part of what this article tries to discuss.
This author points out that fair treatment is required for everyone, that even a guilty person should not have been beaten into confessing. Improper actions by the police have tainted the whole process of obtaining justice.
Michael Brown's actions were not worthy of execution, and his death took place against a backdrop of constant harassment by police on the poor (and black) citizens of Ferguson. His life mattered because he was a person. The prior behaviour of the police matters, because they have been shown to be hateful and biased. The police tainted the process, long before Michael Brown met his end. And this is part of what this article tries to discuss.
19
Michael Brown was not executed. That has been established. Repeating a lie will not make it true.
25
The problem with progressives is they operate with a reckless disregard of facts. Michael Brown was not executed. He was killed by a cop after he assaulted the cop, tried to take his gun, refused to stop and charged the cop. Those are the simple facts. MB would not be dead today except for his behavior. The entire Ferguson drama was based on lie. But progressives -- including the Times -- keep repeating half truths or untruths about cops and blacks either because can't understand simple logic, facts and data -- or because their narrative is more important than truth.
A good example appears, surprisingly, in another Times opinion piece today by 2 yale law students and a professor, "a better standard for use of deadly force." In that article they assert correctly that cops kill Blacks at a rate 7x that of Whites. True. But they fail to mention a critical fact that completely makes that seemingly troubling statistic irrelevant. Blacks commit violent crimes at a substantially higher rate than Whites -- the Black murder rate is roughly 8x that of non HIspanic whites. What do police do? They confront and arrest violent criminals. If one population commits crimes at a rate that is multiples of another population, it is not surprising if more of them end of being killed by cops.
Cops make mistakes, can be brutal at times. But the idea that it is about race is simply misleading. If Black crime rates drop, so will the rate of killings of Blacks by cops.
A good example appears, surprisingly, in another Times opinion piece today by 2 yale law students and a professor, "a better standard for use of deadly force." In that article they assert correctly that cops kill Blacks at a rate 7x that of Whites. True. But they fail to mention a critical fact that completely makes that seemingly troubling statistic irrelevant. Blacks commit violent crimes at a substantially higher rate than Whites -- the Black murder rate is roughly 8x that of non HIspanic whites. What do police do? They confront and arrest violent criminals. If one population commits crimes at a rate that is multiples of another population, it is not surprising if more of them end of being killed by cops.
Cops make mistakes, can be brutal at times. But the idea that it is about race is simply misleading. If Black crime rates drop, so will the rate of killings of Blacks by cops.
26
This column is not as pithy or profound as commenters are treating it - it's the same sort of veneer-thin rhetoric that my white classmates at a small liberal arts college in the Northeast used to pull (successfully) at the end of our sociology and other social science classes: "I'm white and privileged and know that and I know that the evil in the world arises from heterosexual white Christian American males and ohhh I feel so guilty." And they'd get the bonus participation points.
This column by a "mostly white" woman doesn't really shed much light or offer any new perspectives on crime in America or anything else for that matter. Her presumably mostly white cousin got beaten by police - then the blacks who apparently *did* commit the heinous crimes also got beaten by the police (and convicted). So... in 1991 police beat the suspects in terrible crimes. Without condoning it in any way can say that I am not at all surprised. Now that the system is straining to reform that may corrupt the conviction. Race had some part in it. Pretty banal observations. I would give this paper a C. I know my sociology and victimhood-studies colleagues would give it an A+ and be close to tears - but it's just not there.
I am sure commenters will rage on over the holiday about how moving this account is. I think that's more about us and our pseudo-intellectual aspirations and self-images than it is about the actual content of this column. This column is hackneyed.
This column by a "mostly white" woman doesn't really shed much light or offer any new perspectives on crime in America or anything else for that matter. Her presumably mostly white cousin got beaten by police - then the blacks who apparently *did* commit the heinous crimes also got beaten by the police (and convicted). So... in 1991 police beat the suspects in terrible crimes. Without condoning it in any way can say that I am not at all surprised. Now that the system is straining to reform that may corrupt the conviction. Race had some part in it. Pretty banal observations. I would give this paper a C. I know my sociology and victimhood-studies colleagues would give it an A+ and be close to tears - but it's just not there.
I am sure commenters will rage on over the holiday about how moving this account is. I think that's more about us and our pseudo-intellectual aspirations and self-images than it is about the actual content of this column. This column is hackneyed.
18
It is hackneyed if you're paying attention to the voices and stories of people of color. But for many cloistered white people, this will be a revelation.
I guess you get that way after 25 years of trying to be polite to people who slap you around with their racial and social agendas, after about half your family gets brutally wiped out.
3
It reveals nothing about the plight of black people - both the "mostly white" cousin and the blacks who were eventually convicted were beaten. I would guess the blacks had a better chance of being beaten - that's what the past two years of scrutinizing policing have surely shown in America and most of us knew that unfortunate truth (you don't want to be a black man dealing with the police or even driving down the road in America) - but this column has no revelations about race or much else. It is vacuous drivel. I hope she's selling some books this morning - I'd like to think there was a point to this
2
Here is the unfortunate reality we have come to in our society: When a black is killed by a white, it is perceived as racism. Always. Especially cops. When a white was killed by a black some generations ago, it was perceived that blacks were evil and more likely to commit crime. That was old thinking. Now if a black wrongs a white, we don't dare suggest racism. The most liberal whites and most blacks remind us of past injustice and past unconscionable acts. Even the less liberal have it ingrained in them not to blame a black person's race lest they be called racists or even white supremacists. We whites are still paying the price for what was done by some of our ancestors. Guilt is thrown on us. The term "white privilege" is thrown in our faces even if we grew up poor. In spite of listening to Dr. King and acting on his words, plus providing racial quotas, busing, and affirmative action, and criticizing our own, we are still paying the price for what dead people of our race who we never knew thought and did. We welcome blacks into our neighborhoods, they become our friends and our coworkers, even intermarry, and in doing so with middle class blacks, we come together. That looks like equality to me But educated blacks and the poorest blacks never let us forget. So, sure, we don't dare see a crime against us as a racist act. These people must have been disadvantaged. By us. All too often, reverse racism smacks us in the face and we don't dare complain.
55
The 1960s and 1970's were supposed to host the dialog on race. It was a liberal monologue.
Many of my friends and neighbors wanted to take part in the dialog. When crime was discussed, it was as you said: white on black crime was racist while black on white crime was, well, just crime.
We genuinely thought this could turn into real change. Even our supposed Democratic political leaders took the position that no racially motived crimes had been committed against us.
When we formed a neighborhood watch to fight the mounting crime rate it was labelled racist and reactionary. All we wanted to do was keep some semblance of order in a modest lower middle class neighborhood. When we were forced to move (our phone lines being cut and having to chase assailants away with a rifle was the end of it) and things continued to decline guess who was blamed? White flight, of course.
By this time the neighborhood was referred to as a ghetto which was not my characterization but fit perfectly in the narrative being foisted on the people of this country.
The NY Times has never published anything close to an honest assessment of race relations in this country.
Many of my friends and neighbors wanted to take part in the dialog. When crime was discussed, it was as you said: white on black crime was racist while black on white crime was, well, just crime.
We genuinely thought this could turn into real change. Even our supposed Democratic political leaders took the position that no racially motived crimes had been committed against us.
When we formed a neighborhood watch to fight the mounting crime rate it was labelled racist and reactionary. All we wanted to do was keep some semblance of order in a modest lower middle class neighborhood. When we were forced to move (our phone lines being cut and having to chase assailants away with a rifle was the end of it) and things continued to decline guess who was blamed? White flight, of course.
By this time the neighborhood was referred to as a ghetto which was not my characterization but fit perfectly in the narrative being foisted on the people of this country.
The NY Times has never published anything close to an honest assessment of race relations in this country.
17
I'm sorry, but may I ask what article you are commenting on? Doesn't seem like your thoughts really have anything to do with the one I read.
4
Here's a thought: maybe ease off on "the blacks," this, and "the whites," that, stop wailing about how nice you've been, back off on the "reverse racism," nonsense a least a little, and re-read the article.
2
It is time to have an honest dialogue about race. If whites have a measure of guilt and culpability regarding the legacy of slavery, blacks have to confront the dark reality of modern day crime, and the malign culture of anti-intellectual nihilism that represents such a destructive force in America's inner cities. White America needs to continually ensure that they are extending opportunity, while Black America needs to take a look in the mirror, and recognize that Black America, like White America, possesses moral agency and the responsibility to alter its trajectory and self-determine its collective fate. That is not the fashionable reading of the current dilemma, but it is the correct one, and the sole one yet imbued with something like hope.
75
White people should extend opportunities? Wow. How generous. As long as white people are the holders of opportunities to dispense at their will this country isn't going to making too much progress toward real equity.
@ DVGN - DVGN you state that we need an honest dialogue about "race" but to have such a dialogue we would have to go back to the beginning and discuss the concept of race, the "fatal invention" of racists.
I have filed a comment and so far one reply (to cgljuniper) that deal with that subject. If you are willing to discuss that subject please add a reply here - at least. You have 19 recommends so far 08:39 GMT but I wonder if each of them understands what it would mean to have a dialogue about the concept of race as used in America.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
I have filed a comment and so far one reply (to cgljuniper) that deal with that subject. If you are willing to discuss that subject please add a reply here - at least. You have 19 recommends so far 08:39 GMT but I wonder if each of them understands what it would mean to have a dialogue about the concept of race as used in America.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen USA-SE
2
The major loci I see for "anti-intellectual nihilism," these days center on fat white guys named things like "Trump," "Cruz," and "Rush."
2
It remains vitally important that violently dangerous criminals be kept off the street. I am a liberal democrat but when I heard about the furlough granted Willie Horton I was horrified, without knowing anything about his race Race was not the issue- letting a violent pos out on a vacation was. Prisons are full of dangerous people and I, for one (if only me), care nothing about their race, religion, how many children they have, etc, only that they be given no opportunity to reoffend. The safety of the innocent should never be put at risk for ideology. Disagree if you want.
15
Black people commit horrendous crimes; white people commit horrendous. Black people are seen as less than human and evil; White people are seen as good people who just made a mistake. They are not seen as dangerous, drug-addicted, rapists and murderers. All people commit murder! Some murders make the front page, others do not. Some murders are properly investigated, others are not. Nobody deserves to be murdered, no matter who they are.
5
I don't know what your news sources have been, but I can think of quite a few white criminals whom no one would likely think were just good people who made a mistake: John Wayne Gacy, the BTK Killer, Richard Speck, The Green River Killer, Ted Bundy, the Son of Sam killer, Wayne Williams, Charles Manson, Gary Ridgway, numerous anonymous KKK lynchers, etc., not to mention European criminals like Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Dr. Mengele, etc.
No offense to the vast majority of men, who, in my experience, are good and kind, but the elephant in the room is that those who kill strangers seem almost exclusively to be of that sex. Would that we could somehow identify those at risk of committing such violent and aggressive crimes and turn them to more peaceful and productive pursuits before it is not too late.
No offense to the vast majority of men, who, in my experience, are good and kind, but the elephant in the room is that those who kill strangers seem almost exclusively to be of that sex. Would that we could somehow identify those at risk of committing such violent and aggressive crimes and turn them to more peaceful and productive pursuits before it is not too late.
5
Kathleen, you left out the obvious:"Whitey" Bolger.
1
If you are referring to the "Wayne Williams" of Atlanta GA, he was black. Convicted of the killings of numbers of black male youths.
4
I feel for the horrific experiences the author and her family have endured. I hope she finds peace of mind somehow.
I infer the author is saying most everything important in life is largely determined by an individual's values, integrity and decency.
Some people don't believe in doing what is right, fair and honorable. True for criminals, true for cops behaving as criminals, which they in effect become.
None of these types of behaviors is determined by a person's race, color or other superficial differences.
It's what is in a person's heart that matters. Some people are toxic, most try to be civil and reasonably fair. Color doesn't matter, actions and values do.
Each family should focus on instilling good values in our children. That won't eliminate all of our problems, but it will move us in the right direction.
I infer the author is saying most everything important in life is largely determined by an individual's values, integrity and decency.
Some people don't believe in doing what is right, fair and honorable. True for criminals, true for cops behaving as criminals, which they in effect become.
None of these types of behaviors is determined by a person's race, color or other superficial differences.
It's what is in a person's heart that matters. Some people are toxic, most try to be civil and reasonably fair. Color doesn't matter, actions and values do.
Each family should focus on instilling good values in our children. That won't eliminate all of our problems, but it will move us in the right direction.
4
I grieve for your loss. As an African American I would be the first to pull the switch that sends these miscreants to their deserved demise. Let me make one observation to add to the discussion for the commentord. When the perpetrator is Black refrain from the most American urge to lay the guilt of his crimes on the backs of the 40 million of us who DID NOT commit the crime. Timothy McVeigh was not a cipher for every white male. Yet whenever a crime is committed by a black person the "blame-the-blacks" card gets passed around.
31
Agree completely, yet have you noticed how liberals do this with republicans? All republicans are held responsible for the utterances of each and every republican. One foolish statement and the entire group is accused of "racism", "sexism", etc. One lone crazed killer, and all "white Christian male gun owners" are held responsible.
I've always marveled that democrats aren't held to the same standard. Imagine their being accused of supporting an abortion of an 8-month fetus, for example, since there are some very vocal pro-choicers who oppose any restrictions on abortion?
It seems to be a defensive position that stems from being accused, oneself, as being part of a group that is guilty of something. Whites are accused of racism, so they respond by accusing African-Americans of committing crime. Fewer accusations would go a long way toward ratcheting down the counter-accusations.
I've always marveled that democrats aren't held to the same standard. Imagine their being accused of supporting an abortion of an 8-month fetus, for example, since there are some very vocal pro-choicers who oppose any restrictions on abortion?
It seems to be a defensive position that stems from being accused, oneself, as being part of a group that is guilty of something. Whites are accused of racism, so they respond by accusing African-Americans of committing crime. Fewer accusations would go a long way toward ratcheting down the counter-accusations.
4
This sad tale reminds me of the intriguing proposal made by Jared Taylor that interracial crimes should be punished more severely than intraracial crimes, owing to the damage done by them to social amity.
5
Your premise is absolutely wrong - in far too many cities - murder is black, brown and white on their respective colors.
And until we face that stark truth, we can't begin to solve the problems of young men - of any color - killing each other.
Apologists of any hue should all strike a new year's resolution to fix the problems of young male violence and forego the ersatz blood sport of scoring political points with their constituencies.
And until we face that stark truth, we can't begin to solve the problems of young men - of any color - killing each other.
Apologists of any hue should all strike a new year's resolution to fix the problems of young male violence and forego the ersatz blood sport of scoring political points with their constituencies.
6
Race and murder and who gets convicted, sentenced, and/or executed are endemic to the American experience.
Race and murder have often intersected at bridges and the Mississippi River, like the one described here, particularly below the Mason-Dixon Line during the 100 year Jim Crow period in America.
However, unlike the horrific murders in this story where the perpetrators were imprison and/or executed, many black families never received justice, even after the murders bragged about having committed the crime.
Race and murder have often intersected at bridges and the Mississippi River, like the one described here, particularly below the Mason-Dixon Line during the 100 year Jim Crow period in America.
However, unlike the horrific murders in this story where the perpetrators were imprison and/or executed, many black families never received justice, even after the murders bragged about having committed the crime.
4
Thank you, Jeanine. This message is so important. A PERSON kills another PERSON. End of story, start of search for justice.
4
In 1986, my brother, Kevin, was murdered - stabbed to death by a stranger he stopped to help. Over two years elapsed before a solid lead emerged, and an arrest was made. In spite of very little physical evidence, the defendant was convicted, and served over 25 years in prison for 2nd degree murder. Another - who turned state's evidence in return for a reduced sentence, served under four years.
Our family also struggled with the issue of race; we are white; Kevin's killer is black, and a co-defendant Native American. Both defendants had been through the criminal justice system since they were children. Their pasts were tainted with poverty, abuse, alcoholism, crack and cocaine addiction. My family was lower middle class - blue color - but we always had food and shelter.
Grief - however - knows no racial or economic boundaries. When someone you love is murdered, it shatters any assumptions of safety or permanence. You know the worst can happen, and you worry for the rest of your life that it could happen again. You are held hostage to fear and loss.
I realize that if you are poor and black in the US, there is a huge change that someone close to you has been murdered. Most students in inner city schools have seen a dead body, heard gunfire in their neighborhoods, lost family members to drugs and violence.
We must all stand together to fight the conditions that produce killers, that terrorize neighborhoods, that deny us the ability to realize our potential.
Our family also struggled with the issue of race; we are white; Kevin's killer is black, and a co-defendant Native American. Both defendants had been through the criminal justice system since they were children. Their pasts were tainted with poverty, abuse, alcoholism, crack and cocaine addiction. My family was lower middle class - blue color - but we always had food and shelter.
Grief - however - knows no racial or economic boundaries. When someone you love is murdered, it shatters any assumptions of safety or permanence. You know the worst can happen, and you worry for the rest of your life that it could happen again. You are held hostage to fear and loss.
I realize that if you are poor and black in the US, there is a huge change that someone close to you has been murdered. Most students in inner city schools have seen a dead body, heard gunfire in their neighborhoods, lost family members to drugs and violence.
We must all stand together to fight the conditions that produce killers, that terrorize neighborhoods, that deny us the ability to realize our potential.
111
A great comment. I am sorry this happened to you. You still do not hold a whole community responsible. You do not condemn a race. I commend you for that.
Hope your comment has a small but significant positive effect in some.
Hope your comment has a small but significant positive effect in some.
5
"So yes, while my white cousins were attacked by some black men, the emphasis on race felt ludicrously, infuriatingly off topic."
Why? Are you so sure that the crime would've occurred if the murderers/rapists had happened upon black teenagers? It pains me to say it, in light of the pain that was inflicted upon you and your family, but you sound naive.
Why? Are you so sure that the crime would've occurred if the murderers/rapists had happened upon black teenagers? It pains me to say it, in light of the pain that was inflicted upon you and your family, but you sound naive.
18
An alternative - would the public outrage and interest have been so high if the VICTIMS had been black?
5
as a singular human experience, race and ideology don't exist perhaps, they are typically collective ideas and institutions. so to determine if race and ideology are involved, you must include statistical evidence, and unfortunately in america, racism is an institutionalized ideology, least affecting white people. crime is also associated with class, and class with race. the fact that a majority of blacks raped and killed whites, therefore in this case, is racism exploding in a white family's face. it proves we have a mutual interest to solve this problem.
2
Further emphasizing that this is not about race is the fact that police beat both the writer's brother, who is white, as well as the accused, who is black.
Just like unjustified police killings, the issue is police misconduct, not race.
Just like unjustified police killings, the issue is police misconduct, not race.
7
The criminal justice system is not color blind, therefore we should not pretend otherwise.
Focusing on murder cases: although the majority of murder victims nation-wide (at least as of 2013) are black or Hispanic, 77% of victims in death penalty cases are white. That means the jury is much more likely to return a death verdict for a white victim than victims of other races.
Victim's race is the top statistical factor for determining whether the defendant receives the death penalty. On top of this, Hispanic and black defendants are more likely to receive the death penalty in a murder case, with 20% of black defendants given a death sentence by all-white juries. (DPIC, Amnesty International.) The statistical picture shows a system where race strongly influences the results of the most serious cases, and the numbers are very hard to explain away.
Obviously, this is not to say that in every case race influenced the outcome or even played a role. It may not have in the tragic case of Ms. Cummins' cousins. But, system-wide, the problem exists. Pretending it does not will only harm the cause of justice.
Focusing on murder cases: although the majority of murder victims nation-wide (at least as of 2013) are black or Hispanic, 77% of victims in death penalty cases are white. That means the jury is much more likely to return a death verdict for a white victim than victims of other races.
Victim's race is the top statistical factor for determining whether the defendant receives the death penalty. On top of this, Hispanic and black defendants are more likely to receive the death penalty in a murder case, with 20% of black defendants given a death sentence by all-white juries. (DPIC, Amnesty International.) The statistical picture shows a system where race strongly influences the results of the most serious cases, and the numbers are very hard to explain away.
Obviously, this is not to say that in every case race influenced the outcome or even played a role. It may not have in the tragic case of Ms. Cummins' cousins. But, system-wide, the problem exists. Pretending it does not will only harm the cause of justice.
1
I am very sorry for what happened to the author and her family. Some humans have a darkness within them that is beyond comprehension.
And yes, most times, murder isn't black or white. But justice in this country most certainly is...black or white.
And yes, most times, murder isn't black or white. But justice in this country most certainly is...black or white.
4
There is another elephant in the room: misogyny. That one is never talked about. Was the brother raped? No. Was he murdered? No. So it was the young women who were the targets of these four young men and their race doesn't matter. Rape is always a hate crime by men who hate women.
23
Justice is blind, supposedly. The media, however, are not colorblind. Too bad.
Make it about race and it ceases to be about justice...
Make it about race and it ceases to be about justice...
5
Thank you for reminding us that crime (With the exception of domestic and foreign terrorism.) doesn't have an ideology. That ingredient is added in by the media and the consumer to further an agenda.
Learning from facts pragmatically will help us solve the problems that lead to crime. Ideologies are fact-avoiding parasites that continue to perpetuate problems rather than solve them.
Learning from facts pragmatically will help us solve the problems that lead to crime. Ideologies are fact-avoiding parasites that continue to perpetuate problems rather than solve them.
5
"crime (With the exception of domestic and foreign terrorism.) doesn't have an ideology"
There are also hate crimes. They are ideology too.
With hate crimes there are gay victims, black victims, white victims, and all others that can be victims first of somebody's hate.
This article does not discuss what was said or motive attributed to the four monsters who did this. It might have been a hate crime, and so partly about race. It might just have been crazed violent crime. I presume there is evidence one way or another, but it isn't here in this article.
There are also hate crimes. They are ideology too.
With hate crimes there are gay victims, black victims, white victims, and all others that can be victims first of somebody's hate.
This article does not discuss what was said or motive attributed to the four monsters who did this. It might have been a hate crime, and so partly about race. It might just have been crazed violent crime. I presume there is evidence one way or another, but it isn't here in this article.
13
Sometimes crime does have an ideology. Parishioners and their minister in Charleston are dead because a young man held some mighty unpleasant beliefs. Ditto workers at a Planned Parenthood.
Ditto four little girls in a church basement, all those years ago.
Ditto several policemen within the last 12 months.
Or perhaps our two ISIL friends in California went on a rampage for no reason.
Or in Paris.
Some crime is perpetrated by deadbeats who find it easier to steal than work towards getting a job or find rape kind of fun. Some not.
Ditto four little girls in a church basement, all those years ago.
Ditto several policemen within the last 12 months.
Or perhaps our two ISIL friends in California went on a rampage for no reason.
Or in Paris.
Some crime is perpetrated by deadbeats who find it easier to steal than work towards getting a job or find rape kind of fun. Some not.
6
When Magellan's expedition circumvented the world, one murder in one hundred was every solved in Europe. The lack of justice in cases of murder encourages more of it and the belief that murderers will be caught and punished discourages it, but it does not eliminate it. There is pressure on police to solve horrific crimes even when they have few facts from which to do so. So there is a temptation for police to find a plausible suspect and to build cases that convince juries of his/her guilt. This kind of behavior leads to guilty people escaping justice and innocent people suffering punishments for which they do not deserve. When this country was made up of a lot more racists than today, racial bigotry could sway juries against defendants who were from racial minorities. Until the late 18th century lacking enough eyewitnesses in a criminal prosecution required confessions by defendants which were only considered truthful if motivated under torture. It took a long time for society to recognize the unreliability of confessions given under torture, but we see that lesson has still not been learned by some police officers and prosecutors. The problem to be addressed is poor and unreasonable practices by police and prosecutors to obtain convictions by any means available and the complacent attitudes of the public which enables those kinds of bad acts.
22
Finally UNDERSTOOD.
1
1. I am sorry for your loss.
2. I am sorry your loss became a topic of public controversy.
3. I am sorry your loss and pain is unresolved.
***
4. I cannot imagine, were the roles reversed, that a family of black victims would de-emphasize race if the perpetrators were white.
5. All human blood is red when exposed to the air.
2. I am sorry your loss became a topic of public controversy.
3. I am sorry your loss and pain is unresolved.
***
4. I cannot imagine, were the roles reversed, that a family of black victims would de-emphasize race if the perpetrators were white.
5. All human blood is red when exposed to the air.
47
Perhaps you didn't read of the massacre in Charleston in June of this year. Not only did the families not bring in the issue of race but they publically forgave the killer. Be not the one to cast the first stone lest you be accused of the hatred you dare to cast as pervasive.
1
@Ace McKellog
I definitely agree with 1-3 and 5. With number 4, you can't imagine? Based on what? Are you Black or do you know at least a few Black people well enough to say that? If so, fair enough. I am Black and I'm intelligent enough to know that race isn't always a factor in such horrendous happenings and I'm not in the habit of "playing the race card."
12-31-15@5:35 pm est
I definitely agree with 1-3 and 5. With number 4, you can't imagine? Based on what? Are you Black or do you know at least a few Black people well enough to say that? If so, fair enough. I am Black and I'm intelligent enough to know that race isn't always a factor in such horrendous happenings and I'm not in the habit of "playing the race card."
12-31-15@5:35 pm est
3
Re #4, that's a failure of your imagination, recall the SC AME church where the white guy shot up the place and the congregation forgave him?
4
I am concerned the comments do not fully engage with her point. She is explaining why a focus on race does further harm to her family, who have experienced a terrible tragedy. From reading these comments, it becomes clear that it takes a focus away from the horror of the crime and the value of the lives of the victims is forced into some fixed narrative that diminishes the true cost of murder. The author of this piece deserves people to truly look at her argument and think about it. The unlawful actions of the police actually allowed a terrible crime to be insufficiently punished. I think this is one of the most powerful statements on how thinking about everything in racial terms first--and stupid, simplistic ones--distorts our human reality. Whereas looking at the situation from the standpoint of human beings first--that the killers and victims were all just people, some willing to do horrific things and others who never deserved such a terrible fate--puts the horror of the crime in full relief. When people sweep it into their racial narrative it dilutes the tragedy and it becomes part of some social tableau that makes the lives of the victims insignificant. If we truly value people as individuals then beating that drum so loudly drowns out the real tragedy of violence and lives lost.
155
Well said. Commenters often misunderstand or ignore the author's meaning when issues like race or gun violence are discussed. They pick and choose from the article or distort the writer's intent to fit their views.
4
One of the things which really bothers me is the failure of the liberals and BLM to make a clear distinction between Michael Brown and Tamir Rice.
There seems little doubt that Brown did attack Wilson. Wilson was bruised and Michael's blood was found inside the police car substantiating Wilson's claim that Brown attacked him and tried to take away his gun.
Tamir Rice attacked no one and the cop was not physically hurt in any way.
The failure to distinguish between Rice and Brown leads to a loss of credibility for BLM and their supporters.
There seems little doubt that Brown did attack Wilson. Wilson was bruised and Michael's blood was found inside the police car substantiating Wilson's claim that Brown attacked him and tried to take away his gun.
Tamir Rice attacked no one and the cop was not physically hurt in any way.
The failure to distinguish between Rice and Brown leads to a loss of credibility for BLM and their supporters.
69
One of the things that bothers me about conservatives is their irrational response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Rather than consider the possibility that this country is still fouled by racism, conservatives have to twist themselves in knots trying to discredit what should otherwise be a total uncontroversial assertion.
Why do conservatives feel so threatened?
Why do conservatives feel so threatened?
6
@Rohit,
Perhaps your last sentence should've had the word "some" in front of "their supporters." I support BLM, but, I'm also able to discern the differences that exist in both situations, to the degree that the press discloses them. With respects, it's a bit arrogant and presumptuous for you to suggest that your approval or validation are needed.
12-31-15@5:47 pm est
Perhaps your last sentence should've had the word "some" in front of "their supporters." I support BLM, but, I'm also able to discern the differences that exist in both situations, to the degree that the press discloses them. With respects, it's a bit arrogant and presumptuous for you to suggest that your approval or validation are needed.
12-31-15@5:47 pm est
6
Perhaps the failure is to distinguish whether or not justice was done and truth was told. What does color matter to The Creator? It matters, principally, to those of us who choose a "side" to take. This is grade school mentality. "I like you, so your point of view doesn't matter. It only matters what I like."
It is only when one comes, figuratively speaking, "down to earth," that our perspective is narrowed so that we focus on the "Who" of it, rather than the "What" of it. o
We are still, to a very great degree, as the Spirit of Christmas Present pointed out in "Scrooge," creatures of ignorance, which is why there is no Peace on Earth. Choosing a side is like skiing down a mountain: once engaged. one cannot stop the momentum of thought Itself. And thought is what leads to The End result.
It is only when one comes, figuratively speaking, "down to earth," that our perspective is narrowed so that we focus on the "Who" of it, rather than the "What" of it. o
We are still, to a very great degree, as the Spirit of Christmas Present pointed out in "Scrooge," creatures of ignorance, which is why there is no Peace on Earth. Choosing a side is like skiing down a mountain: once engaged. one cannot stop the momentum of thought Itself. And thought is what leads to The End result.
1
Absolutely right, and you said it beautifully.
3
I understand why the writer is trying to shed racism from the actions of the perpetrators. She feels highly restricted on what she's allowed to say, but why does she have this burden?
Maybe the attack was racism, maybe it was not. Maybe the beating of the perpetrators was racism, or maybe not. It sounds like after all the grandstanding, no one really knows for certain. Do they?
The liberal narrative seems to be that black people are victims, by default, while whites are disallowed certain freedoms of speech regarding race due to racist histories.
In any case, are discussions on racism really about race, or is it culture? If its really about race, then the idea is that no one should be judged on race, period. No? Including whites for what a portion of their ancestors did. But if it about culture, then the our cultural histories matter, but then why are we conflating it with race? We cannot say that we all want to get along, that we want equality, but then put a ton of asterisks next to that statement, based on a extremely complex cultural past.
If discussions about race are really about culture, then lets name it for what it is, and say blacks and whites and whomever else, exist in separate worlds that we are not interested in bringing together - but that's not it either, is it?
Really, what is it, is that discussions on racism has now devolved down to ego (liberal whites) and power & control (activist blacks).
Maybe the attack was racism, maybe it was not. Maybe the beating of the perpetrators was racism, or maybe not. It sounds like after all the grandstanding, no one really knows for certain. Do they?
The liberal narrative seems to be that black people are victims, by default, while whites are disallowed certain freedoms of speech regarding race due to racist histories.
In any case, are discussions on racism really about race, or is it culture? If its really about race, then the idea is that no one should be judged on race, period. No? Including whites for what a portion of their ancestors did. But if it about culture, then the our cultural histories matter, but then why are we conflating it with race? We cannot say that we all want to get along, that we want equality, but then put a ton of asterisks next to that statement, based on a extremely complex cultural past.
If discussions about race are really about culture, then lets name it for what it is, and say blacks and whites and whomever else, exist in separate worlds that we are not interested in bringing together - but that's not it either, is it?
Really, what is it, is that discussions on racism has now devolved down to ego (liberal whites) and power & control (activist blacks).
20
It seems like some people don't understand what racism is or how it works. The suggestion that racial tensions in this country are caused by the machinations of egotistical white liberals and power-hungry black people conveniently leaves out the more likely possibility--indeed, the manifestly obvious one:
Racial tensions are caused by white racism!
Racism in a country with an avowedly white-supremacist past is a one-way street. It's one of the prerogatives of power. It's not some academic process whereby all forms of racial perceptions are equal.
If white people hold most of the power, how could an act of "racism" by a black person against a white person even be possible? How could even an explicitly "anti-white" act carry the same weight when white people can routinely take advantage of the unearned privileges that come with their skin color? In other words, how could a white person be harmed by an act of racism in a country where they control everything?
Racism in America is a white people problem. It's not something black people should have to overcome or fight against. It's something white people have to root out of their midst. It exists only because they allow it to.
Racial tensions are caused by white racism!
Racism in a country with an avowedly white-supremacist past is a one-way street. It's one of the prerogatives of power. It's not some academic process whereby all forms of racial perceptions are equal.
If white people hold most of the power, how could an act of "racism" by a black person against a white person even be possible? How could even an explicitly "anti-white" act carry the same weight when white people can routinely take advantage of the unearned privileges that come with their skin color? In other words, how could a white person be harmed by an act of racism in a country where they control everything?
Racism in America is a white people problem. It's not something black people should have to overcome or fight against. It's something white people have to root out of their midst. It exists only because they allow it to.
1
"If white people hold most of the power, how could an act of "racism" by a black person against a white person even be possible?
When the young women were raped and murdered in this case, black people did indeed "hold power". Awesome power to choose life or death & torture. They chose the latter and your denial is a cowardly display of deflection and excuse-making for heinous crimes committed against whites.
When the young women were raped and murdered in this case, black people did indeed "hold power". Awesome power to choose life or death & torture. They chose the latter and your denial is a cowardly display of deflection and excuse-making for heinous crimes committed against whites.
5
Jeremy
You don't know what you are talking about for a variety of reasons not the least of which that the vast majority of people in America are not in power or came with the right name and connections and "white" is becoming much harder to define. Furthermore black people can practice racism against each other as in being too white or too black or against another race like Hispanics so your convenient narrative is too simplistic.
Racism, hatred, envy, covetousness, jealousy and evil exist in all corners of society and it is exacerbated by people who only want to be heard and don't want to listen. That cuts across all nationalities to one degree or another. Black people must overcome racism in their midst so they don't perpetuate the institutionbut most importantly so they can go on and live good lives. It is a terrible thing to waste time thinking about people who do not like you for something as laughable as skin color.
You don't know what you are talking about for a variety of reasons not the least of which that the vast majority of people in America are not in power or came with the right name and connections and "white" is becoming much harder to define. Furthermore black people can practice racism against each other as in being too white or too black or against another race like Hispanics so your convenient narrative is too simplistic.
Racism, hatred, envy, covetousness, jealousy and evil exist in all corners of society and it is exacerbated by people who only want to be heard and don't want to listen. That cuts across all nationalities to one degree or another. Black people must overcome racism in their midst so they don't perpetuate the institutionbut most importantly so they can go on and live good lives. It is a terrible thing to waste time thinking about people who do not like you for something as laughable as skin color.
3
17
Was Roof an animal too?
2
Racism, hatred and hostility is pervasive and it thrives because the narrative confines it to the American experience which is too narrow and as a political tool which only feeds more racism, hatred and hostility. For example within the black community one can be too light or too dark and feel too white or too black. That is racism but does not match many peoples' definition of racism which only includes attitudes towards black people by non-blacks.
In this case there may have been racism involved to some degree but certainly the hatred and violence was what was important.
In this case there may have been racism involved to some degree but certainly the hatred and violence was what was important.
6
I'm sorry for your loss, and grateful for your courage and your clarity.
While the perpetrators may have seen "white people", I find that term racist, and perpetuating ignorance and obscuring the tragedy of violent crime.
Crime and violence aren't illegal or acceptable simply because of the genetic or cultural heritage of who commits the acts.
Youth, guns/weapons, poverty and an utterly depraved lack of humanity seems to be the recipe for crime.
If parents can't make good citizens out of their children, how can the police be expected to?
A very sad story.
While the perpetrators may have seen "white people", I find that term racist, and perpetuating ignorance and obscuring the tragedy of violent crime.
Crime and violence aren't illegal or acceptable simply because of the genetic or cultural heritage of who commits the acts.
Youth, guns/weapons, poverty and an utterly depraved lack of humanity seems to be the recipe for crime.
If parents can't make good citizens out of their children, how can the police be expected to?
A very sad story.
3
Victims were white, 3 of 4 attackers were black.
2
After reading Ms. Cummins piece I typed the phrase "Free Reginald Clemons" into my browser, and there they are, freereggieclemmonsnow.com, has "Great News for Reggie and his Family!" and a message from his mother, Amnesty International urges the State of Missouri to commute his sentence, ACLU asks for "Justice for Reggie Clemons". You know, everyone is absolutely entitled to legal representation, and I know there are a lot of guilty feeling white people in this country, but what is with the full court press on behalf of this dirtball? You gotta wonder.
121
These are organizations which rely on "victimization" to have purpose. We should always keep that in mind.
4
I enjoyed this article as it affords us a nuanced, personal perspective on the complexity of race in such incidents.
And I agree with the author. In light of the events this year, sometimes when a cop goes overboard it does stem from racist prejudice in his heart. Sometimes it doesn't. In many instances of police brutality, the cop is black. Many times the victims are white. Many times both cop and victim are of the same race. These incidents, not just ones involving black victims and white cops, need to be prevented.
So let's please all focus on police brutality. Period. If we were to make practical reforms on POLICING (better training, body cameras, etc) not racial sensitivity or giving cops a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, any of the high profile white-cop-black-victim incidents this year would still have been prevented - and others, too.
And I agree with the author. In light of the events this year, sometimes when a cop goes overboard it does stem from racist prejudice in his heart. Sometimes it doesn't. In many instances of police brutality, the cop is black. Many times the victims are white. Many times both cop and victim are of the same race. These incidents, not just ones involving black victims and white cops, need to be prevented.
So let's please all focus on police brutality. Period. If we were to make practical reforms on POLICING (better training, body cameras, etc) not racial sensitivity or giving cops a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, any of the high profile white-cop-black-victim incidents this year would still have been prevented - and others, too.
10
get a grip John. Yes, there is some police brutality, but as far as social issues go, the biggest social issue we face is the pathology in the Black community that has created a tsunami of Black on Black violence. You get that down and the incidents of high profile cop shootings (although most are justified) will go down. Get that down, get HS graduation rates up, eliminate the gang culture, go back to the two parent family system, etc., and you may even see poor Black urban communities succeed.
25
They are both problems. In fact, I agree with you completely.
3
Let's discuss the article and you can find another place to discuss your unrelated issues. It appears you are trying to trash police officers and ignoring a compelling story. This is tragic.
4
A some what similar rape murder occurred I St Louis in 1996 when 2 college students were abducted, raped and shot. One died the other left for dead. The perpetrators happened to be young black men who chose evil.
But how many mass shootings are needed to prove young white men kill too?
No doubt there are murders because of race but most seem to be men who choose evil
But how many mass shootings are needed to prove young white men kill too?
No doubt there are murders because of race but most seem to be men who choose evil
8
Over 92% of gun murders in Chicago this were committed by Black and Brown men - I am curious as to what threshold would trigger alarm bells in your mind?
This isn't academic or racist - acknowledging the real problem is the first step to addressing it.
This isn't academic or racist - acknowledging the real problem is the first step to addressing it.
25
Perhaps true, but why is the number of those who choose evil so unbelievably and disproportionately young black men?
17
SteveRR -- I don't live in the bad parts of Chicago, or Baltimore, or Washington DC ... or a list of other places.
About 50% of murders in the US are done by white people. So if one doesn't live in or near the really bad ghettos of the US, guess what? You're chances of being killed by a white guy are much larger than your chances of being killed by a black guy. This is not surprising.
We have a ghetto problem. And today this problem is mostly black. But one need only go back 100 years or so when the tenements of New York spawned gangs like the Plug-Uglies and the Roach Guards. They were white gangs, mostly Irish.
Read the history of the riots in major northern cities (e.g. the "Dead-Rabbit riots" in New York City) in the 1800s.
About 50% of murders in the US are done by white people. So if one doesn't live in or near the really bad ghettos of the US, guess what? You're chances of being killed by a white guy are much larger than your chances of being killed by a black guy. This is not surprising.
We have a ghetto problem. And today this problem is mostly black. But one need only go back 100 years or so when the tenements of New York spawned gangs like the Plug-Uglies and the Roach Guards. They were white gangs, mostly Irish.
Read the history of the riots in major northern cities (e.g. the "Dead-Rabbit riots" in New York City) in the 1800s.
3
The brutality of police towards suspects is an important piece of the quest for social and criminal justice. How can we ever hope to determine guilt or innocence until our police restrain themselves from vengeance before investigation?
9
On so many levels, this must have been a difficult piece to write, and I appreciate the opportunity of reading it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
www.endthemadnessnow.org
17
Your cousins were evidently killed by those young men.
They were duly convicted.
The colour of their skin has nothing to do with their guilt or innocence.
Why people make it seem that it does is shameful.
They were duly convicted.
The colour of their skin has nothing to do with their guilt or innocence.
Why people make it seem that it does is shameful.
7
Given that coerced confessions (i.e. ones beaten out of suspects) are illegal and widely acknowledged by behaviorists to produce false admissions, at least Clemons was not "duly convicted."
6
No, CityBumpkin,
It was not proved that Clemons was coerced but he claimed
that he was.
Tom Cummins the only survivor testified that Clemons was
one of the four that raped and killed Julie and Robin Kerry.
Clemons, was, is "duly convicted" and should there be a new
trial, will be duly convicted.
It was not proved that Clemons was coerced but he claimed
that he was.
Tom Cummins the only survivor testified that Clemons was
one of the four that raped and killed Julie and Robin Kerry.
Clemons, was, is "duly convicted" and should there be a new
trial, will be duly convicted.
4
The Missouri Supreme Court apparently thought he was not "duly convicted," and reversed the conviction.
3
This is an excellent piece, thank you for being brave enough to write about it.
41
I think race identity and racial awareness are operative in all theaters of human activity, including often times crime and murder, but that doesn't really change the fact of grief and loss, and the need for justice at so many levels. We don't need to deny the racial bias in who commits more crimes or suffers more crimes, we just need to deal with crime and justice, - and injustice as well. There are genuine victims, but victim-hood is fraud. There are genuine criminals, but criminalizing a whole racial group is bogus.
10
I agree that this case probably was not about race. Rapists and murderers and their victims come in all colors. But we are told over and over that such crimes are definitely about race, especially when victims are black and the criminals are somebody else. The liberal black narrative of victimhood makes it so. In this narrative, blacks are only victims. Sometimes they are the criminals, but they are never responsible, because according to the narrative, the racist society they are forced to live in turns them into criminals.
This narrative forces race to be an issue even when those most intimately involved in crime know for certain that it's not. But it is not just violent crime that this narrative racializes, it also racializes all of the social and economic problems underprivileged people must face. By inserting racism where racism doesn't exist has profoundly negative effects on all aspects of race relations in America. But those proponents of the narrative don't know this.
This narrative forces race to be an issue even when those most intimately involved in crime know for certain that it's not. But it is not just violent crime that this narrative racializes, it also racializes all of the social and economic problems underprivileged people must face. By inserting racism where racism doesn't exist has profoundly negative effects on all aspects of race relations in America. But those proponents of the narrative don't know this.
71
@Willie,
"The liberal black narrative of victimhood..." Ok, please educate me. Are there any Black liberals you have in mind, specifically, for this narrative of victimhood?
Certainly not me.
12-31-15@9:07 pm est
"The liberal black narrative of victimhood..." Ok, please educate me. Are there any Black liberals you have in mind, specifically, for this narrative of victimhood?
Certainly not me.
12-31-15@9:07 pm est
3
Race need not be inserted because it is the ocean in which we all swim. Until that is understood, progress is not possible. The only real question is 'how deep is the ocean?'
2
Ms. Cummins, thank you so much for sharing your pain, and the hard-won wisdom distilled from it. I'm grateful to you. During this long, terrible year that began with Ferguson, through all the deaths at the hands of cops (some of them, I think justified by the circumstances and others simply murder) this is the first opinion that says what I've been thinking but have not been able to express half as well as you. We have got to get beyond race. It's the crime that matters, the facts that prove or disprove the crime, and the justice (that oh so fragile, oh so critical thing) that in the end we achieve or eludes us.
16
"There is no reason to believe there was any racial element to the crime"
What evidence, if any, do you have for this?
What evidence, if any, do you have for this?
37
One is not obliged to adduce evidence in order to prove a negative. Either there is evidence of a racial element, or their isn't. If there is no evidence, there is no evidence. That's not definitive proof that there was no racial element, because proof of a negative is essentially impossible. One can always speculate and wonder if there might have been a racial element, but no evidence means no evidence. What that means is that any further speculation and conjecture is just that.
17
The utter lanck of evidence, Mike. That's what "no reason" means: the author has found no evidence suggesting race was a factor. Lack of evidence doesn't prove a negative, sure, but without any evidence you can't reasonably say that race did play a role in the crime, can you?
11
Funny to examine the disparity of the standard of evidence used to determine racism between black on white crime and police "harassment" of blacks.
Unless racism is explicitly evident in the first, it is assumed that "race was not a factor." Regarding the latter, circumstances are often more than enough for the same parties to be more than confident racism is at play, despite the lack of any explicit evidence of racism.
The older I get the more I am inclined to think that the general white liberal attitude toward African Americans, including this writer's, is rooted primarily in self-congratulatory narcissism.
Unless racism is explicitly evident in the first, it is assumed that "race was not a factor." Regarding the latter, circumstances are often more than enough for the same parties to be more than confident racism is at play, despite the lack of any explicit evidence of racism.
The older I get the more I am inclined to think that the general white liberal attitude toward African Americans, including this writer's, is rooted primarily in self-congratulatory narcissism.
60
What's yours rooted in?
6
Narcissism? I thought she was writing from the vantage point of Wisdom.
7
McKIm, I'll answer for John. His comment is rooted in rational thought.
9
What a senseless and horrific tragedy. Regardless of the facts of the case, it is sadly unsurprising that the events have taken on a life of their own and I wonder whether everyone will ever feel any sense of justice or closure regardless of what happens now.
Part of the deep discomfort of talking about individual, systemic and structural racism as a white person is becoming aware of and acknowledging profoundly unsettling truths, in this case the apparent routine beating of suspects by police to extract confessions that seem to conform to deeply held prejudices of a dominant community and the continued use of state-sanctioned murder in cases where even in perfect circumstances it is difficult to definitively establish what happened.
Justice can not be aided or achieved through acts of injustice. As a great man once said, "Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Having the uncomfortable conversation, facing the ugly truths of where we are today and doing something about it is our duty.
Part of the deep discomfort of talking about individual, systemic and structural racism as a white person is becoming aware of and acknowledging profoundly unsettling truths, in this case the apparent routine beating of suspects by police to extract confessions that seem to conform to deeply held prejudices of a dominant community and the continued use of state-sanctioned murder in cases where even in perfect circumstances it is difficult to definitively establish what happened.
Justice can not be aided or achieved through acts of injustice. As a great man once said, "Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Having the uncomfortable conversation, facing the ugly truths of where we are today and doing something about it is our duty.
10
If if race is relevant when whites attack blacks, it is relevant in reverse as well. And this is not in order to trade the empty accusation of "racism" but in order to understand the motivation and behavior of the criminals (calling them "sociopaths" is not an explanation but a label). Black people in America have higher rates of violent crime than any other group. This is a fact. You can provide whatever explanation you want and try to substantiate it with data. You can blame nature or nurture. But you cannot deny the fact itself. As for the horrifying story of the writer's family: I am opposed to capital punishment on general grounds but if the police shot the perpetrators I'd not shed any tears - even if three black men ended up dead.
85
Black Americans are convicted of violent crime at higher rates than whites, that is true. But it's also true that many of them did not have access to bail or adequate legal representation and may have pled guilty to a crime they didn't commit. It's less a problem with race and more a problem with poverty. But Black Americans are more likely to be impoverished, and so they are more likely to get railroaded by the justice system. The NYTimes has covered a number of cases where blacks either pled to crimes they didn't commit -- and that there was no evidence that they committed -- or chose to stay in jail and fight, only to spend years locked up waiting for trial, only to emerge jobless, broke and with severe emotional scars from their imprisonment when the charges were dropped.
Right now, you can't assume that just because black people are more likely to be convicted of crimes that they are more likely to commit them. We KNOW that white people are more likely to be found with drugs when stopped and frisked, but black people are stopped way more often. That means that even if more white people are carrying drugs, more black people will be convicted thanks to the law of averages. I don't know if it's true for violent crimes, but it makes me distrustful of simplistic interpretations like yours.
As for the perpertrators in this story -- I'm sure nobody but their mothers would shed a tear for them if they wound up dead. On that we agree.
Right now, you can't assume that just because black people are more likely to be convicted of crimes that they are more likely to commit them. We KNOW that white people are more likely to be found with drugs when stopped and frisked, but black people are stopped way more often. That means that even if more white people are carrying drugs, more black people will be convicted thanks to the law of averages. I don't know if it's true for violent crimes, but it makes me distrustful of simplistic interpretations like yours.
As for the perpertrators in this story -- I'm sure nobody but their mothers would shed a tear for them if they wound up dead. On that we agree.
9
Lauren, I'm an empiricist. I've lived in multi-racial communities and gone to multi-racial schools all my life. When an art director who worked for me and his wife, both white, were murdered execution-style face-down in their bed, the perpetrator was black. When the mixed-race messenger who used to deliver inter-office mail at the U.S. Education Department where I worked was murdered, his killer was African-American. When my white ex-wife was followed home from the grocery store and mugged on her doorstep, the thief was black. When I had to fight off several muggers armed with knives in Brazil, my attackers were of African descent and mixed race. In my direct experience of violent crime, these are the facts. They aren't statistics derived from allegedly unrepresentative rates of arrest/conviction. Your sophistry is impressive, but it's simply sophistry, at least in my real-world experience. African-Americans commit crimes at higher rates than other ethnic groups. Causation is a puzzle, but one that must be solved.
28
I believe that there have been statistical studies that corrected for other factors, such as lack of legal representation, and still found the rate of black crime (and I mean violent crime, rape and murder, and not drug possession) to be higher than any other demographics. In any case, the statistical disparity between black and white crime rates is too high to be explained away by anecdotes. Black males have six times the incarceration rate of white males (Wikipedia has a pretty decent summary of the data and problems with it, as well as directing the reader to primary sources). It beggars the imagination that such a disparity is attributable to the bias of law enforcement or poverty, which is endemic in other communities as well.
12
Murder isn't Black or White is a testament to the fact that there are very evil and ignorant people of every race. As one looks about the world we see stories of greed, rape, murder everywhere there are human beings and different races. If the human race is to survive its profit-making drive that ignores poverty and suffering and the earth's survival needs, we are going to have to remove our acquisitive blinders and see that there should be more to human life than climbing over and stomping on one another to acquire more power. Murder and evil is all colors not just black and white.
8
Amen Tink, our family has been through so much. We are always thinking about you and your family. Keep your chin up.
6
How can the author say that. The media especially nytimes almost always tries to leave out the skin color when reporting on crimes.
31
Like the folks that shot the NY Knick the other day.
14
No matter how glaring and persistent the patterns.
6
I've been harrassed, handcuffed, or threatened by the police 12 times, from age 16 to 35, from New York to North Carolina. I've wondered how many were wasted on profiling me while my active criminals operate untouched.
Just a few months ago I sat as a handcuffed suspect while a bank robber, who didn't fit my description, except for our shared skin color made it further out of town.
When will law enforcement understand that bad policing harms victims and the innocent, while making it easier for real criminals to escape justice?
Just a few months ago I sat as a handcuffed suspect while a bank robber, who didn't fit my description, except for our shared skin color made it further out of town.
When will law enforcement understand that bad policing harms victims and the innocent, while making it easier for real criminals to escape justice?
153
Are we to assume that in all of these cases you were always the victim or have you possibly been guilty of some of the instances and have a long rap sheet? Police compile lists of individuals activity, profiles, then compare profiles to recent crimes. Its called detective work. Innocent until proven guilty, made much easier with good forensics.
6
Excellent point. Thank you and very sorry for the harassment you have received. Racial profiling makes us all less safe. We've seen this again and again. It continues to amaze me that police are not trained to avoid this.
14
Yes, it certainly makes sense to pick out 80 year old woman for questioning while young men who fit a pattern are not questioned because it might constitute "racial profiling".
6
I agree with everything Cummins says, except the idea that race played no role in the commission of the crimes. Maybe that's true; maybe not. When whites attack blacks, we liberals often assume race played a role. But not so in reverse. We need to stop acting as if all African-American criminals are colorblind. I was a journalist for many years and believed strongly in the admonition not to mention race unless it became relevant to the story. But I think that fed into a backlash from conservatives who felt journalists were trying to hide race when African Americans committed crimes against whites. We can acknowledge race without demonizing groups. We can still oppose police brutality.
168
The lack of parallel is that the emphasis on race feeds racism in the case of black crimes against whites. We can't know which murders are race-related. The author says she does not want race to play a role because she doesn't want her family's tragedy to be part of a racist narrative. She's pointing out that racism against the perpetrators causes further harm to her family--including the beating of the perpetrator, which has done terrible damage to them.
8
I agree, I don't want to see race emphasized in crime stories unless it clearly plays a role. But not mentioning race doesn't seem to work in a time when conservatives believe a liberal media hides the number of black-on-white crimes, and they often ascertain race through photos and video. Ms. Cummins believes that the ugly statements of white racists led to a backlash from African-Americans. Maybe, but support often falls along racial lines. I don't believe that all black people are utterly objective until they hear racist claims anymore than I believe white people are utterly objective until a black person makes an ugly comment about someone considered a suspect. I also would oppose anyone using this crime as an example of the criminality of black people. But I'm also opposed to the idea that all whites who commit crimes against blacks are racist.
3
"We need to stop acting as if all African-American criminals are colorblind."
This country actually has a pretty long history of ascribing race motives to crimes committed by blacks against whites. I seriously doubt it has actually gone away, maybe just discussed less openly.
This country actually has a pretty long history of ascribing race motives to crimes committed by blacks against whites. I seriously doubt it has actually gone away, maybe just discussed less openly.
5
It's not a hard decision, however terrible it all is: try him again. Let him die in prison. Fortunately, at least one of these murderers was executed.
56
It probably is true that consciously and willfully suppressing things out of fear of having construed as racist, is tacitly as much a form of racism as if it were otherwise overtly stated. It's just a simple and plain fact of what we as humans are - none of preselected the color of our skin or where we were born, but yet for years we've all been convinced that somehow what we see in the mirror is really all in our imaginations and shouldn't matter.
Somewhere along the line, the most egregious expressions of racism became the only politically correct definition of racism, and thereby relegated the word and phenomenon as strictly a pejorative - thereby rendering useless in any constructive terms.
Therefore, how can anything be overcome - or at least be dealt with rationally - if it's not even acknowledged to exist? Who are we to deem as "wrong" something we had no part in creating?
Somewhere along the line, the most egregious expressions of racism became the only politically correct definition of racism, and thereby relegated the word and phenomenon as strictly a pejorative - thereby rendering useless in any constructive terms.
Therefore, how can anything be overcome - or at least be dealt with rationally - if it's not even acknowledged to exist? Who are we to deem as "wrong" something we had no part in creating?
4
First of all Jeanine, Puerto Rican is not a race. Many Puerto Ricans are white. And many are black. Most are increasingly of mixed race. As for yourself, and others who identify as such, how do you know you are white? Have you had your DNA tested?
Second, what happened in Ferguson was not about race, it was about an individual that was aggressive and intimidating, and refused to follow instructions. The video from the store he had just robbed showed this hostility.
I do feel very sorry about what happened to your family. But I still don't think it was about race. The same could have happened if your family had been black or any other race. This was about a group of hostile individuals or sociopaths who unfortunately ran into your family. They were individuals born and raised in an ignorant, uneducated, economically unstable frustrating environment without clear positive possibilities for the future. This was a tragedy for all. And yes, that's the reality of many blacks which contributes to their high crime rate and are thus targeted by the police more than any other group. But it is still not about race by itself. So, yes, it is not about black or white.
Second, what happened in Ferguson was not about race, it was about an individual that was aggressive and intimidating, and refused to follow instructions. The video from the store he had just robbed showed this hostility.
I do feel very sorry about what happened to your family. But I still don't think it was about race. The same could have happened if your family had been black or any other race. This was about a group of hostile individuals or sociopaths who unfortunately ran into your family. They were individuals born and raised in an ignorant, uneducated, economically unstable frustrating environment without clear positive possibilities for the future. This was a tragedy for all. And yes, that's the reality of many blacks which contributes to their high crime rate and are thus targeted by the police more than any other group. But it is still not about race by itself. So, yes, it is not about black or white.
26
I believe the author was making the point that it wasn't about race, but that if the color of the victims' and victimizers' skin became an issue, some would have used and did use skin color (both "black" and "white") for racially motivated invectives. And I believe that you missed the point. Two other points: 1) Nowhere in the article did the author suggest that coming from Puerto Rico, or from Lebonan for that matter, defined one's "race." 2) By writing "They were individuals born and raised in an ignorant, uneducated, economically unstable frustrating environment without clear positive possibilities for the future," you are showing a strong racial bias as nowhere in the article did the author characterize the victimizers as such or, in fact, characterize their non-racial background at all. The author gave no indication of the victimizers' motivations, but sometimes the "underdog" is just plain evil.
28
Race and crime are interwoven in this country, for better or worse. It's the elephant in the room, the "thing which shall not be named".
It's no coincidence that those same white people asked, "Were the guys black?"
Left leaning folks are quick to blame cops for indiscriminate use of force but will jump thru all kinds of hoops to excuse black on black violence.
Gun control advocates do not mention a major factor in the struggle for it: race.
A cruel crime occurred. Two young lives were cut short. Unfortunately, when the 4 were caught, it's instinct to ask what do they look like?
It's not Chinese or Canadian or Cambodians who are suspected.
I empathize with the author. Here family has been thru a terrible ordeal. And it looks like it's going to start again.
Yet, until the subject of race and crime (Black Lives Matter, police violence, black on black crime, the "Ferguson effect", sentencing disparities, education, crime rates in different neighborhoods, etc...) are honestly discussed, people will say platitudes while holding their true feelings to themselves.
We will just keep going round and round.
It's no coincidence that those same white people asked, "Were the guys black?"
Left leaning folks are quick to blame cops for indiscriminate use of force but will jump thru all kinds of hoops to excuse black on black violence.
Gun control advocates do not mention a major factor in the struggle for it: race.
A cruel crime occurred. Two young lives were cut short. Unfortunately, when the 4 were caught, it's instinct to ask what do they look like?
It's not Chinese or Canadian or Cambodians who are suspected.
I empathize with the author. Here family has been thru a terrible ordeal. And it looks like it's going to start again.
Yet, until the subject of race and crime (Black Lives Matter, police violence, black on black crime, the "Ferguson effect", sentencing disparities, education, crime rates in different neighborhoods, etc...) are honestly discussed, people will say platitudes while holding their true feelings to themselves.
We will just keep going round and round.
87
I am all for honest discussion. Discussing the context that links together white supremacist ideology, black self hatred and community crime is not excusing anything. It is adding context. The fact that some portion of Black people see themselves and other Black people as worthless should not come as any shock or surprise given American history. No, we do not expect any help in seeing ourselves as fully human.
4
While I agree with your overall comment, as a left-leaner myself I wish to note that we do not ignore or excuse black-on-black crime. The fact is, poverty and hopelessness breeds crime. Acknowledging this is not the same as excusing it.
1
A very sad story with an important message in today's racially charged environment. Thank You!
37
Yes, it absolutely is about race. Let's start with how many black victims or families get to have their kin write NYT op-eds describing their suffering.
Earlier, in the aftermath of your family's horrific tragedy, you got seemingly across the board institutional and societal support for an all out, scorched earth policy, to find the perpetrators.
One wonders how many families of raped and murdered black victims got anywhere near that support.
You may quibble about race and how you won't stand for others interfering in your personal tragedy on racial grounds. Tens of millions of black Americans get no choice on those grounds. So kindly remove your self important blinders and pay attention to the world beyond your self absorbed narrative.
Earlier, in the aftermath of your family's horrific tragedy, you got seemingly across the board institutional and societal support for an all out, scorched earth policy, to find the perpetrators.
One wonders how many families of raped and murdered black victims got anywhere near that support.
You may quibble about race and how you won't stand for others interfering in your personal tragedy on racial grounds. Tens of millions of black Americans get no choice on those grounds. So kindly remove your self important blinders and pay attention to the world beyond your self absorbed narrative.
27
There is no excuse for the tragedy that befell her family but thank you for stating the obvious. A person doesn't suddenly get to be colorblind when it suits them.
9
AJ, you've missed at least part of her point. She is addressing white racists who will seek to use her family as poster children as justification for their racist views of black people, to create a twisted racist narrative. She's saying that her family will not accept this narrative imposed on their personal tragedy. She's standing against white racism in a very public forum. And we need white people in this conversation, don't we?
91
So what is he supposed to do? Shut up, and not talk about it? Your argument goes like this, "black people everywhere suffer to a much greater extent because of racism, so you should shut up and not talk about your suffering". Can you see the flaw in that argument, our do I need to point it out to you?
8
Jeanine, thank you for your piece. 25 years ago, my sister in law, a young woman, heading to graduate school was taken at gun point to an ATM. After withdrawing and handing over money to her assailants, she was taken into an alley and shot in the head. Her death took several week of hoping for recovery and realizing that this was not to be, my father in law ok'd the removal of life support from his daughter. This was a high profile local case, a white, affluent girl abducted at gun point in a safe neighborhood. Only later, was one of the assailants caught. From pictures on the ATM, both assailants were black. Race only entered the picture when at trial the defense attorneys and neighborhood activists attempted to make the case about privilege and race.
There are reasons for all that makes up the character of each of us. Occasionally, there is a deep mental illness that excuses a person as they literally no not what they do. However, adults, of sound mind must be personally responsible for their actions regardless of their race, their home life, their culture, their circumstances. A person who takes a life, who rapes someone, who causes others harm should never have the excuse of poverty, afluenza, race or any other excuse to justify their actions.
There are reasons for all that makes up the character of each of us. Occasionally, there is a deep mental illness that excuses a person as they literally no not what they do. However, adults, of sound mind must be personally responsible for their actions regardless of their race, their home life, their culture, their circumstances. A person who takes a life, who rapes someone, who causes others harm should never have the excuse of poverty, afluenza, race or any other excuse to justify their actions.
262
The proper response to such a beating is to fire and severely punish those responsible with lengthy incarceration. They have no place in our police forces, but simply firing them is not nearly enough.